Google has to pay a $25,000 fine because a lack of cooperation in an investigation into the company's storage of personal data over wireless networks. There has been a lot of scrutiny facing Google and how it stores its' data. Many lawmakers have a negative view of Google and this lack of cooperation strengthens that this dislike. Since May 2007, Google collected content form wireless networks and other things such as passwords and history. According to executive director of Electronic Privacy, Marc Rotenberg notes that, "Google unlawfully intercepted and stored millions of wireless communications from Wi-Fi routers. "Google violated FCC orders by delaying its search for emails and not verifying the accuracy of its submissions. There have been also other data protection issues in countries like Canada France, and the Nethederlands. We all use Google but when it starts tracing everything we do and following our every online footstep it can be a very dangerous service.
The full article can be found at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-15/fcc-seeks-25-000-fine-from-google-in-wireless-data-privacy-case.html
Showing posts with label Technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Technology. Show all posts
Monday
BPA Business Will Still Be In Business
A ban to remove bisphenol A, or BPA, from cans and other packaging was rejected by the FDA because not enough data was provided to support the ban. BPA has been in use since the 1960s and it extends the shelf life of canned foods and beverages. Whereas companies like Campbell Soup Co. have been working on phasing out the use of the chemical, companies like Coca-Cola Co. say that it is safe and do not plan on removing it. It is argued that BPA may affect the brain and prostate gland in fetuses and young children.
BPA is a million-dollar business and a ban would hurt profits at large can-makers and the biggest producer of the chemical, Saudi Basic Industries Corp. Some believe that the FDA is no longer protecting the public by allowing this chemical to remain while others such as the chairman of the North American Metal Packaging Alliance praise the decision.
Although no one wants to have chemicals in their cans, the fact that there is large amounts of money involved means that no will would dare touch their industry. The FDA should research the different chemicals found in food but unless anything is immediately life-threatening they will more likely just let it continue to exist. For as much as the FDA exists for regulating, it is still a business and will support other business when it comes to profit-maximization.
Read the full article at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-30/u-s-denies-request-to-ban-chemical-in-food-and-drink-packaging.html
BPA is a million-dollar business and a ban would hurt profits at large can-makers and the biggest producer of the chemical, Saudi Basic Industries Corp. Some believe that the FDA is no longer protecting the public by allowing this chemical to remain while others such as the chairman of the North American Metal Packaging Alliance praise the decision.
Although no one wants to have chemicals in their cans, the fact that there is large amounts of money involved means that no will would dare touch their industry. The FDA should research the different chemicals found in food but unless anything is immediately life-threatening they will more likely just let it continue to exist. For as much as the FDA exists for regulating, it is still a business and will support other business when it comes to profit-maximization.
Read the full article at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-30/u-s-denies-request-to-ban-chemical-in-food-and-drink-packaging.html
Call Your Friends and Pay for Dinner...With the Same Device?
New Zealand is working on a joint venture that would essentially turn cell phones into credit cards. Phones will become "virtual wallets" that can pay for purchases at supermarkets and train stations. Paymark Ltd. is New Zealand's leading credit-card processor and is joining forces with the three top cell-phone carriers (Vodafone New Zealand Ltd., 2degrees Ltd., and Telecom Corp of New Zealand Ltd.) for this creation. With this new collaboration, customers will be able "to make secure payments, collect loyalty points
and use public transport..." This service uses near-field communication which means that customers simply need to hold an enabled phone near specific terminals at locations to make the purchase.
Phones can really do anything now and are being used constantly throughout the day. Our smartphones have become our computers, our cameras, and mostly everything that we used to carry around in our pockets or backpacks. This is a great initiative and furthermore, it's even better to see these different companies working together to build a better technology. It will be interesting to see however credit card companies reaction to this because it has the possibility to eliminate the need for a credit card in the future. Although it's simply starting with just supermarkets and trains, the possibilities for this have no end. Credit card companies will have to keep an eye out to make sure that this does not come and steal their entire market away from them.
Read the full article at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-01/new-zealand-mobile-phones-to-become-virtual-wallets-in-venture.html
Phones can really do anything now and are being used constantly throughout the day. Our smartphones have become our computers, our cameras, and mostly everything that we used to carry around in our pockets or backpacks. This is a great initiative and furthermore, it's even better to see these different companies working together to build a better technology. It will be interesting to see however credit card companies reaction to this because it has the possibility to eliminate the need for a credit card in the future. Although it's simply starting with just supermarkets and trains, the possibilities for this have no end. Credit card companies will have to keep an eye out to make sure that this does not come and steal their entire market away from them.
Read the full article at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-01/new-zealand-mobile-phones-to-become-virtual-wallets-in-venture.html
Wednesday
An Apple TV TV
It looks like Apple's biggest supplier is branching out into the TV business with a $1.6 billion dollar investment in the Japanese LCD TV company Sharp. Sharp is currently struggling after it said it's expecting to lsoe $3.48 billion this fiscal year. The Sharp plant though is the most efficient plant at making 60 in. TVs and could be the future leader in smart televisions. People are expecting to see a debut of an iTV by the end of the year.
Television may be a smart move for Apple because it works strongly on the interconnection between its different devices. Everyone also knows that Apple TV is reworking itself to come out bigger and better and having an Apple constructed television would be a nice compliment. Apple is trying to be a constant part of a consumer's day and television would just increase the amount of time that a person can use an Apple product.
The full article can be found at: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-03-28/sharp-investment-makes-sense-if-apple-tv-is-coming
Television may be a smart move for Apple because it works strongly on the interconnection between its different devices. Everyone also knows that Apple TV is reworking itself to come out bigger and better and having an Apple constructed television would be a nice compliment. Apple is trying to be a constant part of a consumer's day and television would just increase the amount of time that a person can use an Apple product.
The full article can be found at: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-03-28/sharp-investment-makes-sense-if-apple-tv-is-coming
Tuesday
Will Apple Need Carriers Anymore?
It appears that Apple is currently looking for telphone software engineers to work on iOS. Many people are very excited about this because Apple is looking to add voice-over-IP (VoIP) capabilities to its iPhone and iPad operating system. This is doubly exciting because it could potentially mean that it may drop its' carriers and launch its own voice service. On the other hand, it could mean that they want to work even closer with its partners because VoIP is the next generation in voice services. Apple neds experts to develop SIP-based clients to communicate with carriers' IMS cores.
Apple will most likely not go into the the VoIP business for many of the same reasons that Google is not getting into the business. This technology will probably go into a cross-device VoIP set-up that allows customers to trade phone calls among iPhones, iPads, and Macs. This communication could range from phone calls to videoconferencing to instant message. Carriers will never be able to limit Apple's ingenuity and this initiative, if it is successful, may make Apple products even more popular then they are now.
The full article can be found at: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-03-23/is-apple-planning-its-own-mobile-voice-service
Apple will most likely not go into the the VoIP business for many of the same reasons that Google is not getting into the business. This technology will probably go into a cross-device VoIP set-up that allows customers to trade phone calls among iPhones, iPads, and Macs. This communication could range from phone calls to videoconferencing to instant message. Carriers will never be able to limit Apple's ingenuity and this initiative, if it is successful, may make Apple products even more popular then they are now.
The full article can be found at: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-03-23/is-apple-planning-its-own-mobile-voice-service
Sunday
Microsoft’s Video Game Market Looking Towards the Future
Microsoft Corp. is one of the three
big players in the video game market along with Sony and Nintendo. Their
console, the Xbox 360, has been on the market for seven years but still
continues to sell and was bolstered by the introduction of their new Kinect, a
motion-sensor accessory. It had its’ best year of sales in 2011. Even with this
success however, they are still looking to unveil the next version of their
Xbox console in 2013 or early 2014.
Releasing a new console into the
market is something that has to be timed perfectly. According to Michael
Pachter, an analyst at Wedbush Securities Inc., “Theyre still selling a lot of
Xbox 360, and they’re making money…I don’t think the world needs them to put a
new console out just because we’re bored.” The last fiscal year showed a 45%
sales gain to $8.91 billion and outsold both Nintendo Co.’s Wii and Sony
Corp.’s Playstation 3. Nintendo is releasing its’ new console, the Wii U later
this year but its’ once extremely popular console has been having dwindling sales
for years now.
Microsoft is in a very strong
position so they must be careful about which route they take. New consoles are
inevitable but new consoles tend to lose money at first and it isn’t worth the
hit if their current console is doing so well. Also, people may be turned off
from buying a new console if their purchase of their current console was made
in the past year or past couple years.
The full article can be found at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-15/microsoft-says-it-won-t-be-discussing-new-xbox-at-e3-conference.html
Apple Might Not Control the Whole World Just Yet…
Cisco Systems is working to
reinvent the way in which we watch television. They announced that they will
pay $5 billion to acquire a British software company NDS Group. NDS says that, “An amazing user
experience is critical to the operator’s success. Thanks to powerful
MediaHighway® set-top box software and intuitive EPGS and UIs like the
award-winning NDS Snowflake™ UI, NDS makes it easier for your customers to
maximize their enjoyment and use more of the services you have to offer. The
NDS Studio Design team will create a unique look and feel for your operation,
or choose from a wealth of existing solutions.”
NDS
has a large assortment of technologies all designed to “maximize (a television
market’s) content investment and revenues, push your brand and give your
customers the flexibility to enjoy their content on all of the devices they
own.” Cisco wants to be ahead of the game and moreover, ahead of Apple in the
content area. Other competitors such as Rovi and Google are looking at this
same market.
Apple
is always at the forefront of the next innovation so other companies must take
any advantage they can so that they do not lose out. Portable and streaming content
is the next big revolution but the technology and means of distribution have
yet to be perfected. If this company’s technologies turn out to be successful,
it will be Apple that will have to find out how to “copy” Cisco’s innovation.
Read
the full article at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2012/03/16/watch-out-apple-itv-cisco-going-for-the-kill/
Netflix in Jolly Ol' London?
Netflix, even with the multitude of ups and downs it has had this past year in the US, recently brought its' streaming service over to the UK and Ireland at the beginning of the month. It isn't entering a new market however as it will be competing with Amazon.com's LoveFilm for British viewers. Lovefilm can be seen as a British alternative to Netflix, offering both DVD's and streaming and announced that just weeks ago it reached 2 million members.
Netflix's success abroad is still unknown and reviews are split. Lovefilm is a pound cheaper than Netflix at 4.99 compared to 5.99 but Netflix wins out in the area of compatibility with smartphones and other devices and its' overall picture quality. This is a high-risk high-reward option for Netflix which suffered greatly in the states when it tried splitting its' DVD and streaming service and tried to introduce video game rentals as well. Streaming is the future of movie rentals and it does make sense for Netflix to enter the international market. If Netflix manages to keep up with a better picture quality and more compatibility than its' competitors than the 1 pound price difference will most likely not affect the company greatly in terms of members. However, if it tries to do the same thing it did in the United States with the 40% price hike of its service than it better prepare for a quick demise in the UK and Ireland.
Unlike in the United States, Lovefilm provides a popular alternative that is still lacking over here. Once Amazon and Apple's rental services hit American shores in a few years then Netflix will really have to look at it's offerings worldwide. Netflix will have to keep up with a current library of movies and television shows while still making the price of the service competitive. This is a big gamble but if Netflix can show that it has not only the best picture quality, most compatibility, but also the shows and movies people want to watch then they will be able to breathe easier in the future.
The complete article can be found at: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/01/28/can-netflix-make-it-in-the-uk/
Netflix's success abroad is still unknown and reviews are split. Lovefilm is a pound cheaper than Netflix at 4.99 compared to 5.99 but Netflix wins out in the area of compatibility with smartphones and other devices and its' overall picture quality. This is a high-risk high-reward option for Netflix which suffered greatly in the states when it tried splitting its' DVD and streaming service and tried to introduce video game rentals as well. Streaming is the future of movie rentals and it does make sense for Netflix to enter the international market. If Netflix manages to keep up with a better picture quality and more compatibility than its' competitors than the 1 pound price difference will most likely not affect the company greatly in terms of members. However, if it tries to do the same thing it did in the United States with the 40% price hike of its service than it better prepare for a quick demise in the UK and Ireland.
Unlike in the United States, Lovefilm provides a popular alternative that is still lacking over here. Once Amazon and Apple's rental services hit American shores in a few years then Netflix will really have to look at it's offerings worldwide. Netflix will have to keep up with a current library of movies and television shows while still making the price of the service competitive. This is a big gamble but if Netflix can show that it has not only the best picture quality, most compatibility, but also the shows and movies people want to watch then they will be able to breathe easier in the future.
The complete article can be found at: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/01/28/can-netflix-make-it-in-the-uk/
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