| Google Docs Suffers Outage Posted: 07 Sep 2011 03:33 PM PDT  Google is pushing its cloud apps hard to government and business, and the Chrome OS platform relies entirely on these cloud services. So it was more than a little embarrassing when Google Docs went down for about half an hour today for all users. Those looking to get some work done were greeted with an unfriendly-looking 404 and nothing else.
Google Docs is the search giant's office suite in the cloud with a full-featured word processor, spreadsheet, drawing tool and presentation app. The outage began at about 2:30PM Pacific and continued until around 3PM. At the time of this posting, most users report being able to access their documents list again. With desktop apps increasingly migrating to the cloud, users need to evaluate the potential benefits and drawbacks carefully. Today, a local word processor seems to have won out. Were you affected by the Docs outage? Share your harrowing tales if you like. |
| HTC Files Patent Case Against Apple Using Google Patents Posted: 07 Sep 2011 03:05 PM PDT  It's another wild twist in the ongoing legal dispute between HTC and Apple. Taiwanese handset maker HTC has just filed suit against Apple for patent infringement. HTC's ammunition comes in the form of nine patents obtained from Google on September 1st.
The patents come from Palm, Motorola, and OpenWave Systems oringally. Google reportedly bought the entire lot in the last year. Some of the patents are being used in the new case HTC just filed, and several are being amended to the ongoing U.S. International Trade Commission case in Washington. This marks a change in strategy for Google. While the Android maker is not going out and filing cases itself, it appears to be willing to share it patents with partners to protect them from infringement cases. If the acquisition of Motorola goes off as planned, Google is going to have a lot more patents to share, as well. |
| Yahoo Board Fires CEO Bartz Posted: 07 Sep 2011 02:48 PM PDT  Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz has had a bumpy ride in the big chair these last few years, and the ride came to an abrupt end last evening. Bartz was fired by the Yahoo board in a phone conversation. She sent out a quick email before packing up and hitting the trail.
In her email, Bartz neglected to give any details of the conversation, but knowing how she handles herself we have to assume she did not go quietly. Yahoo's board confirmed the ouster in a press release some time later. Yahoo CFO Tim Morse has been installed as interim CEO. Bartz came in at a time when Yahoo was reeling from a failed Microsoft acquisition and needed direction. But over the years, Yahoo has been unable to gain traction. Founder Jerry Yang was reportedly not on good terms with Bartz, which could have contributed to the move. The increasing pressure for changes from shareholders likely also precipitated the firing. Do you think Yahoo will be better off without Bartz? |
| Wicked Lasers Krypton Review Posted: 07 Sep 2011 01:30 PM PDT If you have to ask "Why?" then you just don't get lasers We're sorry, but if you can view the brilliant green beam of the Wicked Lasers Krypton without going gaga with geeky excitement, then we have to question whether you have a soul inside. It's a laser, people! It's a handheld green laser that shines more brilliantly and fan-bloody-tastically than anything else you may ever point into the night's sky. 
The Krypton follows Wicked Lasers' Arctic, a Class IV (read: dangerous) laser that caused considerable controversy last year. Both the Arctic and Krypton are 1-watt, Class IV lasers, but where the Arctic projects a 445nm blue beam and costs just $299, the Krypton emits a 532nm green beam, and costs $1,000. These are key differences. Here's why: First, green light is vastly more perceptible to the human eye than blue light. Wicked Lasers says that, watt for watt, the green Krypton is 20 times more visible than the blue Arctic, and we can anecdotally confirm a significant brightness difference. Second, 445nm blue laser light is uniquely dangerous to the human eye. Any high-powered laser, regardless of its wavelength, can cause permanent retinal damage (and even blindness) if shined directly in your peepers at close range. But blue laser light poses extra risks, as exposure to beams in the 400nm to 500nm wavelength range can, as Wicked states on its website, "alter and have a diminishing effect on a person's perception of the color green." So, while both the Arctic and Krypton are dangerously powerful, the Arctic poses unique health risks even if a direct retinal hit fails to cause blindness. Third, the 1-watt Artic is imminently affordable at $300. Any yahoo with a part-time McJob can decide "I'm gonna get me one of them there laser guns!" and proceed to cause sociopathic trauma. But the 1-watt version of the Krypton is $1,000, and at this price point, most units will probably be purchased by responsible laser enthusiasts, and not jackwads. The Krypton comes in 300mW, 500mW and 1-watt versions for $300, $500 and $1,000 respectively. We received the $1,000 model, and found build quality to be superior to three Arctic units we tested last year. We used a Coherent LaserCheck power meter to test beam strength, and our results were consistent with the Krypton's advertised operating range of 500mW to 1 watt. Many readings fell between 600mW and 700mW, but we also captured a few in excess of 950mW, with a peak of 986mW. Also, unlike the Arctic, which has a decidedly ellipsoid beam shape, The Krypton emits a sharp, tight, circular dot. This is the shape hardcore laser enthusiasts yearn for—you know, for critical paper-burning, match-lighting, and balloon-popping experiments. To address safety issues, the Krypton comes with a physical metal peg that, once removed (and perhaps hidden in a gun safe), renders the laser inoperational. You'll also find SmartSwitch 2.0, a system that uses button codes to unlock the laser, increase its strength from 20 percent to full strength, and switch among SOS and strobe settings. The SOS mode is particularly interesting. Wicked says the Krypton's beam is so powerful, it can hit a target up to 85 miles away. To this end, the laser promises utility in wilderness survival scenarios ("Hey, look at me! I'm over here!). Beyond that, the Krypton has limited utility, save use in legitimate science experiments—and blowing the friggin' mind of anyone who sees it in action. Like any 1-watt laser, the Krypton is not a toy. It's a serious piece of a technology that can cause permanent bodily harm. And you can even wind up in jail if you point it at person or plane. But there's no denying its considerable wow factor. It's science fiction made real. Amazing. 
With a chassis modeled after a Star Warsian light saber, the Krypton, like the Arctic before it, can be mistaken for a toy. Don't be fooled. It's a Class IV laser that can start fires, burn skin, and cause permanent blindness. It should never be pointed at aircraft, or at any living thing. Luckily, every Krypton comes with a pair of safety goggles tuned for the laser's 532nm wavelength. The goggles provide eye protection in the event of a direct hit to one's retina (without safety goggles, it's safe to view the beam of a Class IV laser—just don't look into the laser, or even at its terminating dot). And, yes, the Krypton is legal for sale. There are no laws prohibiting Class IV lasers to Joe Public, but it is unlawful to disrupt aircraft, start fires, and burn and blind people. FYI: For the nifty effect you see in the photo above, we used Wicked's line effect lens, which is part of a $30 expanded lens kit, sold separately. The kit also includes lenses for a cross effect (two intersecting lines); galaxy effect (multiple mini laser beams); focusing effect (a concentrated beam for extra power density); flashlight effect (a diffuse, expanded beam); and floodlight effect (even more expanded and diffuse). $1,000, wickedlasers.com |
| The Game Boy: You Paid For It, But It's Not Yours Posted: 07 Sep 2011 01:24 PM PDT 
One of gaming's more recent gee-whiz-it's-probably-magic trends comes with a pretty thick string attached: your saves, your character, your mountain of collectable doodads for that precious achievement – all of them are imprisoned inside a server on a desert island or in space or something. You're playing a high-stakes game of rental roulette, and everything you've worked so hard to build could go poof in the blink of an eye. What trend am I referring to? Did you say, "cloud gaming"? Private Obvious, I'm sure your Captain is beaming with pride right now. However, while your answer's technically correct, I'm talking about MMOs. It's interesting, too, because gamers have been largely a-okay with this aspect of MMOs for years – at least, so long as their game of choice hasn't met an untimely end. But should we be? After all, cloud gaming's certainly risky in that we don't physically own our games, but in MMOs, we don't own the experience. Timely evidence light-speed-jumped its way into the public eye with recent alterations to both Eve Online and Star Wars Galaxies. In a nutshell, Eve's bucking its trend of bucking trends and embracing one in particular: microtransactions. Meanwhile, Galaxies is, er, dying horribly. In both cases, irate players have protested with everything from canceled subscriptions to class-action lawsuits. Eve's trials and tribulations, especially, have escalated as of late, with the game's very own developer-comissioned, player-elected Council of Stellar Management putting its foot down and stomping all over CCP's well-laid plans. "We will not stand idly by as an alliance while our subscription money goes to waste, watching the game we pay to play spiraling into entropy due to the folly and neglect of CCP's management. It is not yet time to start a fire, but get your gasoline ready," said CSM head and GoonSwarm boss "The Mittani" of CCP's plans to expand Eve's universe into other, less-focused games like Dust 514 and World of Darkness. These types of feelings, of course, are completely understandable. Many players practically live in these worlds. They're homes far, far away from home, and that creates certain expectations. Just as you don't suddenly replace the family cat with its weight in scorpions, tinkering with the core of an MMO is an unspoken no-no. And – paradoxically, given the Eve playerbase's shifting, Marauder's Map-like list of priorities – failing to do so can be just as bad. Point is, this isn't just "some game" to its devotees. It's a collection of places, people, and experiences that players – at least, in their minds – own. In that sense, these games move beyond the "mere" whims of their creators.
In reality, however, developers are well within their rights to turn game worlds on their heads, and you're probably not going to like it. But it's also what you signed up for, so don't be surprised when developers tell you to shut up and enjoy your scorpion army. Is the situation optimal? Certainly not. But as MMO-like "games as a service" movements (Call of Duty Elite, etc) catch on, it's going to become all the more common. Change is frightening, but tread water long enough and you'll eventually drown. Thus, in order to survive long-term, a game simply must evolve -- lest it slink right out of the public eye wrapped tightly in a cloak of its own irrelevance. And let's not forget the "always online" future envisioned by the likes of Blizzard and Ubisoft. Sure, id Software's Tim Willits may speak of automatic updates in tones typically reserved for baby bunnies and birthday parties with bounce houses, but there's a dark side here too. Slowly but surely, your game of choice might morph into some strange, one-million-eyed new beast, and you may not even notice it happening. So yes, you sacrificed your piggybank to the Gods of Commerce fair-and-square, but ownership ain't what it used to be. For better or worse, your favorite games are going to grow, change, and even end. You don't have to like it, but if you expect anything else, you're only setting yourself up for disappointment. Perhaps, then, it's time to embrace change and just go with the flo-- wait, they did WHAT to the original Star Wars Trilogy? |
| IBM And 3M Announce Joint Venture To Create 3D Towers Out Of Silicon Chips Posted: 07 Sep 2011 11:38 AM PDT Intel generated a lot of press with the unveiling of their 3D, low-power Tri-Gate transistor technology. Now it's IBM's turn to hop into the 3D waters. Today, the company announced that it's entered into a joint partnership with 3M to develop 3D semiconductors. They're going about things a little bit differently than Intel, though; rather than developing chips with raised elements, IBM and 3M want to create "bricks" out of up to 100 separate silicon chips in a process known as "3D packaging."
The press release says that theoretically, the technology could develop a silicon "brick" that brings memory, networking and processors together in a super-charged chip capable of performing 1,000 times faster than the speediest processors on the market today. That's all conjecture and theory, of course, but it's nice to know they're thinking big. The key to 3D packaging lies in adhering chips to one another with glue that is capable of transferring heat without damaging logic circuitry. That's where 3M comes in. The company will be tasked with developing an adhesive that can meet those strict requirements as well as be applied to hundreds or thousands of chips at once. Current 3D packaging involves stacking chips one-by-one, a time-consuming procedure. IBM, on the other hand, will focus more on creating new 3D packaging processes capable of stacking hundreds of silicon wafers at once. |
| Windows Phone 7 App of the Week: Shuriken Ninja Posted: 07 Sep 2011 11:31 AM PDT Mobile phone gaming is slowly progressing from a simple diversion to a full-featured platform. Some of the best mobile games you will ever play are uncomplicated - even minimalistic. This is especially true of games offered by independent developers who are making games as a hobby or a side gig. What modern casual games really need is decent sound and graphics, killer gameplay, and (optionally) a good story or premise to work from. We ask you, what better premise than ninjas? 
Shuriken Ninja for Windows Phone 7 is one of the simplest games you will ever play. The general concept is to throw shuriken at the targets in each level, hitting all of the targets without exhausting your shuriken supply. The size and movement of the targets will increase difficulty, as will the need to bounce your throws off of the floor and walls in order to hit your target. Targeting and throwing is managed by tapping at the point you wish to throw, though it isn't as easy as it may sound. Two game modes offer hundreds of levels and Shuriken Ninja also supports creating, sharing, and downloading custom levels. 
Shuriken Ninja is a free download from the Windows Phone Marketplace. Check back next Wednesday for another Windows Phone 7 App of the Week. 
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| Norton Announces 2012 Security Products and Expands "Norton Everywhere" Platform Posted: 07 Sep 2011 11:15 AM PDT  Let us start with the obligatory disclaimer that if it's been a few years since you've played with a Norton product, things are very different than what you remember them to be. Starting with Norton's 2009 Antivirus and Internet Security Suite products, the emphasis has been on performance, both in terms of picking up malware and leaving a small system footprint, and it's been that way ever since (we've awarded Norton two 9 verdicts in our past three annual antivirus roundups). Now Norton will try and keep its revamped reputation intact with the release of its 2012 security products.
We spoke at length with Norton about its 2012 lineup and were told that the 2012 refresh introduces a handful of new features and a bunch of enhancements, such as adding 120 new rules to its Sonar technology. Many of these new rules are intended to block non-process threats more effectively, like those that come in DLL files, as well as do a better job at detecting fake AV programs. One of things we're most looking forward to testing is Norton's expanded Management tools, which gives users Web-based access to manage Norton products from any location with an Internet connection. In theory, you should be able to do things like manage security settings and tweak security settings on little Johnny's rig in the downstairs bedroom just as easily as accessing Aunt Florence's machine located across the country. You can check out the full press release here, and keep your eyes out for an official review in our next annual security roundup in the coming months. Image Credit: Symantec |
| The Business Software Alliance Claims PC Users Are Ignorant Thieves And Hypocrites Posted: 07 Sep 2011 11:06 AM PDT  Almost half of the computer users in the world are criminals; no good, stinkin' pirates who pilfer programs they don't hold the proper licenses for. At least, that's what the Business Software Alliance (a trade group whose entire purpose is stopping the use of pirated software) says after conducting a 15,000 user study in 32 countries. You're probably a hypocrite, too – at least according to the BSA numbers.
That's because the study showed that 47 percent of users acquire software illegally most or all of the time despite the fact that 71 percent of folks say they support intellectual property rights. Businesses are just as likely to use pirated software as individuals. The BSA doesn't point fingers and call people names the entire time, though; they oh-so-graciously say that most users are pirates out of ignorance rather than malice. Thanks! There's plenty of statistical info to be found in both a BSA blog post and a white paper they drew up to trumpet their claims, but here's some juicy tidbits: the five countries with the highest rate of piracy are China (86 percent), Nigeria (82 percent), Vietnam (76 percent), the Ukraine (69 percent) and Malaysia (68 percent). The US doesn't fare that well in the polls, either; the BSA says only China has more pirate-touched computers in operation today, and 35 percent of American respondents admitted to rarely paying for software. The BSA calls using software without a license "The $59 Billion Heist" and claims that software publishers lost – duh! – $59 billion due to piracy in 2010. Since it's the BSA's job to say that, feel free to take the findings in the report with a grain of salt. |
| Rumor: AMD Broadens Bulldozer Launch Lineup for October Posted: 07 Sep 2011 10:45 AM PDT  More reports are starting to surface indicating that AMD is pushing back the launch of its FX-series processors built around the company's highly anticipated Bulldozer microarchitecture. It appears AMD is now targeting an October launch, a time frame that's been floating around the Web for about a week now, but we've now learned AMD is gearing up for a broader Bulldozer launch than originally planned.
XBitLabs claims to have heard from "a source with knowledge of the company's plans" that the broader launch is intended to make Bulldozer more competitive, an unsurprising move considering Intel's recent addition of 16 new Sandy Bridge processors. With the new launch lineup in place, you can expect AMD to announce seven FX-series "Zambezi" chips in October and the following months, including four eight-core FX-8100 models, a single FX-6100 chip, and two FX-4100 chips. What's particularly exciting here is AMD's aggressive push into eight-core territory. We doubt any of these will be super affordable chips, but with base frequencies ranging from 2.8GHz to 3.6GHz and beyond, we can't imagine all the eight-core parts will cost an arm and a leg. |
