7 new stories on The Next Web today |  |
- Silverlight Is What Might Keep Windows Relevant Beyond Windows 7 [TNW Microsoft]
- Scooby Doo solves the mystery of the missing Google Halloween doodle [TNW Google]
- Life Magazine photos now in high resolution in new iPad app [TNW Apps]
- 4 things Facebook might announce at its mobile event next week [TNW Mobile]
- Vodafone stores close amid “Tax dodge” protests [TNW UK]
- Try on shoes, get a free Android or BlackBerry [TNW United States]
- How to watch BBC iPlayer abroad [TNW Apps]
- How Every Discussion About Sexism Ends [TNW Shareables]
| Silverlight Is What Might Keep Windows Relevant Beyond Windows 7 [TNW Microsoft] Posted: 30 Oct 2010 09:44 PM PDT
There seems to be quite a debate Mary Jo started with her post on Microsoft's Silverlight strategy. While the strategy has shifted, the blogosphere at large has inferred it wrongly. There are two versions of this post, a long one and a concise one at the end. Silverlight started as an alternative to Flash which can now run web apps out of the browser (like Adobe AIR) and is Microsoft's proprietary platform for Windows Phone 7 application development. Some people (who love to write eulogies for technologies) believe that Silverlight for the browser on the desktop did not stand a chance against Flash and has no future since HTML5 will be the cure to cancer dominant choice. During PDC10, Microsoft kept emphasizing IE9's HTML5 compatibility and the commitment to the standard. Bob Muglia said that HTML5 is a cross platform technology, the renegade was quick to write the death note for Silverlight. HTML5 is for just about everything else. Nonetheless I shall put forth my humble opinion, Silverlight and its ability to run applications out of the browser might just be what will help Windows remain relevant in a web dependent world. If HTML5 is for just about everything else Windows has a big problem. It has been quite a while since I came across a Windows desktop application that made me go "Wow!" Office suites are now web based, daily computing activity largely comprises of time spent on the Internet through a browser. One can stream music, watch videos, check email, edit documents. Other than heavy duty traditional applications like Photoshop, CAD, Maya gaming etc. there hasn't been a lot of innovation in Windows desktop applications. Windows in this case becomes less relevant as Chrome, Firefox are available on Linux and OSX. This is a problem for Microsoft, to be able to sustain the same developer interest in the desktop ecosystem. Ray Ozzie pointed out in his post that Microsoft should not remain dependent on its insanely large install base. Chrome's netbook OS is essentially web apps running on a computer with a browser. Quick, easy and underpowered. Windows applications can't run on a tablet and be as useful, Silverlight apps developed for the phone however is a di9fferent story. If these apps run on the Windows desktop, Microsoft's founding dream of Windows everywhere stays alive. A proprietary development platform for mobile devices that expands to the desktop (in and out of the browser) will position Microsoft to maintain its dominance or at least be a formidable force.Image [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| Scooby Doo solves the mystery of the missing Google Halloween doodle [TNW Google] Posted: 30 Oct 2010 09:17 PM PDT Maybe it’s not a first (though it might be, as I honestly can’t remember there being another multi-frame doodle) but it’s certainly unique. Google, in celebration of Halloween, has given a 5-framed doodle with a Scooby Doo theme. The frames, clicking through one by one, paraphrase an episode of the iconic American cartoon by showing the team solving the mystery behind the missing word Google in the doodle. We’ve captured all five frames for you:
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| Life Magazine photos now in high resolution in new iPad app [TNW Apps] Posted: 30 Oct 2010 05:58 PM PDT Life Magazine photographs, which chronicled in pictures many of the most important events of the 20st century, now have a 21st century way to be viewed with an a new iPad app. The app description says the app offeres “millions” of “never-before-seen resolution” photos, which are organized into galleries, and can be found by either search/browser seven categories – Editor’s Picks, Most Popular, News, Celebrity, Sports, Travel and Animals – or by using the world map-based “Explorer” view. The app, released by parent company Time Inc., uses horizontal swiping and an “interactive filmstrip mode” to navigate the app. The photos aren’t just historical ones either, with the app containing “This Week’s Best Photos” and a number of other contemporary galleries. Obviously as a photography app, we can only say so much – so here are a few shots from the free app that is available now in the iPad App Store:
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| 4 things Facebook might announce at its mobile event next week [TNW Mobile] Posted: 30 Oct 2010 10:12 AM PDT Last night we received an invite from Facebook to a “mobile” event at its HQ next Wednesday. There are no clues on the invite about what the event could be about, so we’ve brainstormed a bit and have come up with four possibilities, with #1 being the most likely and #4 the least.
Of course, Facebook usually announces a couple of different things at the same time, so perhaps we’ll see a couple of these below (or something completely different). We fully expect to hear a lot of mobile-focused statistics, but those won’t be the focus of the event for sure. So without further ado, here’s our best guesses as to what we’ll see on November 3 in Palo Alto: 1. New mobile apps, including a an iPad appIt’s been awhile since Facebook did a rethinking of its mobile apps, and it would seem about time for the world’s largest social network to redo its suite of mobile apps, possibly with Skype and Facebook Credits (for mobile payments) integration. Many people are especially hoping to see a redone Android app, as of all the platforms, the Android app is probably the most lacking. Along with a refresh of apps, nearly everyone here at TNW is hoping that Facebook will roll out an iPad app next week – if they don’t, we’ll certainly try to pry a due date out them. 2. Facebook Places check-in dealsA few days ago, we relayed a report/rumor that Facebook is already running check-in deals for Facebook Places with a select number of partners. Facebook wouldn’t comment on this, but they didn’t deny it either, so it could be that this will at least be a part of the announcement (again, it would be a nice feature in a revamped line of mobile apps). 3. Facebook mobile SDK, app storeIn anticipation (or perhaps in conjunction) with #4 below (you probably already know what that is), Facebook could possibly announce a mobile SDK platform for developers to build games and other mobile apps for its own mobile OS or perhaps a Facebookized-Android OS. Announcing the platform a few months before it actually launches its phone (yes, I just gave away #4) is what both Apple and Google did before launching its phones to world. So to no one’s surprise… 4. A Facebook phoneYes, the widely speculated Facebook phone. The world’s largest social network offering an optimized phone/OS would be somewhat risky at this point, though Facebook has certainly taken risks before (with many of them paying off handsomely). This would be a risk into the hardware sector – with a partner of course – (unless it’s just going to build an OS), however, and as such is a different kind of risk than it has taken before. The real question in our minds is who would the Facebook phone be for? Would it be a play at developing markets, perhaps leveraging deep Skype integration? Would it focus on mobile payments? Or does Facebook really want to take on the other mobile platforms head-on? Would it just be another “flavor” of Android in conjunction with one of the carriers/phone manufacturers? We might just find out next Wednesday – tune in here and we’ll let you know! [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| Vodafone stores close amid “Tax dodge” protests [TNW UK] Posted: 30 Oct 2010 09:36 AM PDT
Protesters believe the money could be used help stave off huge public spending cuts in the UK as the government looks to reduce national debt. Throughout the day, the hashtag #ukuncut has been trending on Twitter, with reports of store closures in London, Bristol, Liverpool, York and Glasgow among others. As our pictures here show, we found the Manchester Market Street branch closed this afternoon. While no protesters were present while at the time, one of their “Tax Dodgers” notices remained stuck to the outside of the store. The video below, meanwhile, was captured at protests today in London. Vodafone denies the claims that it is avoiding tax payments, telling the BBC “We pay our taxes… Reports suggesting that we have an outstanding tax bill for £6bn are incorrect, as this was never the case.” A spokesperson for HMRC, the government department charged with tax collection, described the £6bn as “An urban myth”.
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| Try on shoes, get a free Android or BlackBerry [TNW United States] Posted: 30 Oct 2010 08:31 AM PDT
The Nashville, TN based Genesco, Inc parent of Journeys though that it would be a great chance to break into the mobile market and finds it to be in line with products that reach out to a younger generation. According to James C. Estepa, President and CEO of Genesco Retail:
The promotion covers the major US carriers, such as Verizon, Sprint, AT&T and T-Mobile and is offering some rather high end devices. Customers will be able to pick from phones like the DROID 2, Samsung Intercept, HTC Aria and even the Motorola Charm. Of course, following the Journeys and Underground Station links above, you can plainly see that you’ll be able to snag the phones even without trying on the shoes. The savings appear to be quite good, as well. A DROID 2, for instance, can be had for free via the promotion, while Verizon is still only offering the phone for $199 on a new contract.
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| How to watch BBC iPlayer abroad [TNW Apps] Posted: 30 Oct 2010 07:30 AM PDT
While it’s always been possible to tunnel into the iPlayer from outside the UK via a Virtual Private Network, the average user would probably find this too much hassle to set up, and VPNs often charge a monthly fee. To solve the problem, a new free app called Expat Shield has launched this month from AnchorFree, the same stable as Hotspot Shield which offers the same service for US users. Aimed at expatriate Brits, this Windows app (supporting XP, Vista and Windows 7) assigns a UK IP number to your Internet connection, meaning that when you connect to the iPlayer website, it thinks you are in Her Majesty’s kingdom, when in actual fact you’re on the beach in Spain or maybe at a South Pole research station. Installing the software is a cinch, although you’ll probably want to uncheck the option to additionally install the “Expat Shield Community Toolbar” as it’s not a necessary part of the service. When I installed the software, I got a warning that the software hadn’t passed Windows Logo testing, which guarantees that it’s fully compatible with the operating system. If you get this warning too, be aware that there’s a slight chance of some kind of system instability as a result of using it, although I used it with no problems.
Expat Shield is free to use and is supported by ads that are displayed when you connect and disconnect from the service. The license agreement for the Expat Shield states that it is only for use by expatriate Brits. While there’s nothing to stop anyone in the world installing and using it, it’s clear that AnchorFree is covering its back against accusations of helping users break the terms of the services it helps users access. With the BBC having promised a worldwide version of iPlayer aimed at Brits abroad by next summer, it may not be necessary to use a VPN in the future. For now though, Expat Shield is a simple solution to a common problem.Image source [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| How Every Discussion About Sexism Ends [TNW Shareables] Posted: 30 Oct 2010 06:07 AM PDT How every single discussion about Sexism and woman-type stuff on the Internet (and real life) has ever happened and ever will happen, always, forever, until the Earth finally falls into the Sun (or until the Patriarchy is dismantled.) [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
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