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This is Topic: Article
Following are the News Items published under this Topic.
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 Google Shifts Tack on Android: Android Posted by: comforteagle
From the Direct dept.:
Google plans to give multiple mobile-device makers early access to new releases of Android and to sell those devices directly to consumers, said people familiar with the matter. That is a shift from Google's previous practice, when it joined with with only one hardware maker at a time to produce "lead devices," before releasing the software to other device makers. Those lead devices were then sold to consumers through wireless carriers or retailers.
The expansion of direct sales marks a bid to exert more control over key features and apps that run on Android-powered phones and tablets, thus reducing the influence of wireless carriers over such devices, these people said. Wireless carriers typically handle marketing and sales of devices and thus can exert some control over the services that run on them.
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Top judge: Ditching Software Patents a "Bad Solution": Legal Posted by: comforteagle
From the From on High dept.:
"My view is that broad categories treated pejoratively are going to lead us toward bad solutions," Michael told us. "People say 'We know all business method patents are bogus, so let's just get rid of them.'" He added that people make similar arguments about software and medical diagnostic patents. "I don't think that's a constructive way to proceed. Certainly there are software patents out there that are no good, and that's a shame. We've gotta clean those out. But I'm against these kinds of broad, polemical ways of proceeding."
Michel did concede that software patents don't appear to be very helpful to the software industry. "Software is way less dependent on patents—maybe not dependent at all except in certain areas. How much [patents] retard [software] I'm not so sure. I hear a lot of anecdotes, a lot of scare stories. I'm a facts and figures guy. I'm not for anecdotes and assumptions."
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Netherlands: First country in Europe with net neutrality: Legal Posted by: comforteagle
From the Be Proud dept.:
May 8th, 2012 is a day to celebrate in The Netherlands as it becomes the first country in Europe to protect its citizens by enshrining net neutrality into law.
The Netherlands is also implementing privacy protections for users against wiretapping and disconnection by the Internet Service Providers (ISPs), which will no longer be able to interrupt traffic of users unless it is proven to be in the public interest.
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AT&T, Google Duke It Out Over Who Causes Android Upgrade Delays: Android Posted by: comforteagle
From the He Said dept.:
The number one iOS carrier duking it out with the company behind the world's most popular smartphone operating system. Last month, Google's lead for the Android Open Source Project, Jean-Baptiste Queru, more or less blamed carriers (see comments) for Android's upgrade woes. Yesterday, AT&T's CEO Randall Stephenson retaliated, blaming Google for the delays. And yes, Google already responded to that, too.
Last month, Jean-Baptiste Queru pointed fingers at the carriers, stating the carriers' approval processes for updates is what's causing the delays. Considering the swiftness with which small, non-funded independent developers can support devices, this doesn't seem like quite a stretch. The massive delays caused by carriers with Windows Phone 7 updates further confirm this line of reasoning.
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MIT, Harvard Announce Joint Free Online Education: Data Posted by: comforteagle
From the SMRT dept.:
EdX is a joint partnership between The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University to offer online learning to millions of people around the world. EdX will offer Harvard and MIT classes online for free. Through this partnership, the institutions aim to extend their collective reach to build a global community of online learners and to improve education for everyone.
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Mozilla Ponders Major UI Changes: Mozilla Posted by: comforteagle
From the Change Up dept.:
Mozilla is working on a revamp of Firefox to synchronize its various versions -- desktop, tablet, phone and Windows 8 Metro -- into a single visual style, according to documents posted by members of its user interface (UI) design team.
The project, which does not have a name, and the earlier blending of Mozilla's mobile and desktop design groups, is meant to bring more coherence to the various versions of the open-source browser.
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US. Dept. of Interior Selects Google Apps for Government for Cloud Email and Collaboration Services: Google Posted by: comforteagle
From the Gubment dept.:
As part of a major efficiency initiative that will leverage modern technology to save up to $500 million in taxpayer dollars by 2020, the Department of the Interior today announced a contract award for Department-wide cloud email and collaboration services using Google Apps for Government. This award is part of Interior’s IT Transformation initiative to provide employees with 21st century IT and support good government practices by reducing waste, cutting costs and integrating services.
“This award is a great example of how our IT Transformation initiative is already delivering value to the Department,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. “Implementing a Department-wide, cloud-based email system that helps modernize the ways we do business while cutting costs is good government, plain and simple. We will continue to identify efficiencies to save time and taxpayer dollars using advances in technology to provide better service for less.”
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CISPA Just Got Way Worse, And Then Passed On Rushed Vote: Legal Posted by: comforteagle
From the We See What You Did There dept.:
The vote followed the debate on amendments, several of which were passed. Among them was an absolutely terrible change (pdf and embedded below—scroll to amendment #6) to the definition of what the government can do with shared information, put forth by Rep. Quayle. Astonishingly, it was described as limiting the government's power, even though it in fact expands it by adding more items to the list of acceptable purposes for which shared information can be used. Even more astonishingly, it passed with a near-unanimous vote. The CISPA that was just approved by the House is much worse than the CISPA being discussed as recently as this morning (yesterday morning -ed.).
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Google Has Lost Control Of The Android Tablet Market : Android Posted by: comforteagle
From the Ummm, No?!?! dept.:
Amazon's Kindle Fire now has 54.4% of the Android tablet market in the U.S., according to comScore.
This means Google has lost control of the Android tablet market to one of its newest mobile rivals after just a few months.
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Former Sun Chiefs Confused on Google Java Use Android: Android Posted by: comforteagle
From the Dude, what? dept.:
Two former chiefs of Sun Microsystems offered opposing views of their company's software policies Thursday, while attorneys engaged in some of the most colorful cross-examination that jurors have witnessed in the high-stakes trial over Google's use of Sun's Java programming tools.
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