Adobe has acknowledged a "critical" security flaw in its Reader, Acrobat and Flash Player software. Adobe says the vulnerability potentially enables hackers to take control of affected computer systems.

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Offbeat
UserpicRolling House
Posted by Sasha

Rolling House

This cyclindrical design is a modular protype that provides flexible space within a minimum housing unit. Three different sections are dedicated to different functional needs: there's a bed and table in section, an exercise cylinder, and a kitchen with a sink. Read more

Brilliant.

 


Apple, Mobile Internet, Mobile Internet
UserpicApple Patents Location Specific Content
Posted by Sasha

One of the latest Apple patents cites library-specific usage- this is regarding the iPhone, or any other mobile device they may create (third paragraph below). The specificity would imply that Apple has strong plans in that direction, and would also be reasonable as part of a counter-strategy to Google's interest and activity in library environments. It's especially interesting given the comments immediately preceding the library reference (multimedia streaming and delivery). Patent language is usually as broad as possible to cover all contingencies, while this given example is relatively focused:

The user's location could be determined by GPS, cell-tower triangulation, "dead reckoning", or simply by communicating with a local wireless access point. Content could be provided over the device's mobile telecom system, Bluetooth, local Wi-fi, or a direct-connect docking station.
That content could include "video content, picture content, audio content, multimedia content or routing content associated with a geographical area within a proximate distance to the device based on the location information."

The filing gives two examples. First, a user could walk into the public library, and a digital card catalog could be loaded onto that person's handheld. When the book-seeker leaves the library, the catalog would be removed from the device.

While that first example appears to be purely in the public-service domain, the second example moves closer to the realm of advertising. In that example, a restaurant could provide a menu app or URL to a patron, along with a second app that displays the current wait time on an icon. While the user waits, he or she could choose and order their meal from the menu app or browser page. When the user leaves the restaurant, the content disappears.

Read more


Offbeat
UserpicTwitter Fixed A Major Bug
Posted by Sasha

One really has to love Twitter, to put up with this latest flaw. It reminded me a last year's surprise when it appeared that Twitter used the word "password" in place of the master password to the site.

The new bug allowed many people to force celebrities, such as Lady Gaga, to follow them by simply typing "accept @ladygaga".

This would make it appear that Lady Gaga had chosen to follow them and would also inject a user's tweets into the singer's feeds.


Accessibility, Apple, E-Commerce
UserpicTop 10 Brands Fail to Work on iPad
Posted by Sasha

It appears that web designers and their clients embraced Adobe Flash, tunnel pages, and users who are more comfortable with IE6 than with iPhone. Below are a few pics of the Web Sites that are not viwable on iPad, not to mention iPod Touch and iPhone.

Cartier Site on iPad

Cartier

Hennesy site on iPad

Hennessy

Hennesy site on iPad

Rolex

Out of the top 10 luxury brands ranked by Forbes in 2009, none of their websites worked sufficiently to match their desktop user experience. Only Gucci seems to have created a site that can handle the technology requirements that Apple has placed on its mobile devices. Read more


Apple
UserpicMedia Execs Who Understand Tomorrow Is Here
Posted by Vondah Elizabeth

On the other hand, Jean-Louis Gassée (a former Apple executive) proposes a simple thought-experiment: "By the end of 2010, there will be more than 100 million iPhone OS devices (iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad). You're the webmeister at an important content site. The boss comes in and asks you why you're not supporting the iPhone OS devices. 'Our stuff is all Flash-based, chief, those guys don't run Flash'. You're about to become the ex-webmeister. The boss, a really patient sort, asks you to 'think different' about all these 'noncompliant' customers, each of whom has an iTunes account backed by a credit card, and has developed the habit (encouraged by Apple) of paying for content. So, one more time, with feeling: what's your answer?"

Read more here.


Every day on New Jersey Transit I see more people watching tv and films on small screens.

And as of yesterday, Apple sold one million i Pads.


NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Despite rising cable and satellite TV prices and easy access to streaming TV and movies on the Internet, few consumers have cut the cord. But that looks like it's about to change.

One in eight consumers will eliminate or scale back their cable, satellite or other pay-TV service this year, according to a new study released this week by Yankee Group.

Read more


Apple
UserpicDivorce Italian Style
Posted by Moxietype

Steve Jobs posted on Apple corporate site his thoughts about flash. The last reason is the most important. The rest of reasons are technical nuisances. Flash is like Trabant (old East German car). It runs but you spend a lot of time under the hood.

We know from painful experience that letting a third party layer of software come between the platform and the developer ultimately results in sub-standard apps and hinders the enhancement and progress of the platform. If developers grow dependent on third party development libraries and tools, they can only take advantage of platform enhancements if and when the third party chooses to adopt the new features. We cannot be at the mercy of a third party deciding if and when they will make our enhancements available to our developers.

This becomes even worse if the third party is supplying a cross platform development tool. The third party may not adopt enhancements from one platform unless they are available on all of their supported platforms. Hence developers only have access to the lowest common denominator set of features. Again, we cannot accept an outcome where developers are blocked from using our innovations and enhancements because they are not available on our competitor’s platforms.

Flash is a cross platform development tool. It is not Adobe’s goal to help developers write the best iPhone, iPod and iPad apps. It is their goal to help developers write cross platform apps. And Adobe has been painfully slow to adopt enhancements to Apple’s platforms. For example, although Mac OS X has been shipping for almost 10 years now, Adobe just adopted it fully (Cocoa) two weeks ago when they shipped CS5. Adobe was the last major third party developer to fully adopt Mac OS X.


Business, E-Commerce
UserpicBootstrap Operation as The Business Model
Posted by Sasha

NYT printed an article today on the Lean Start-Up business model. In fact, that business model was followed by many Internet companies for some time. It allows companies to test the market quickly, find out what works and what doesn't, and build the service or technology that the customer actually wants, while eleminating any cost or investment that doesn't produce the value for their customers.

So the lean playbook advises quick development of a “minimum viable product,” designed with the smallest set of features that will please some group of customers. Then, the start-up should continually experiment by tweaking its offering, seeing how the market responds and changing the product accordingly. Facebook, the giant social network, grew that way, starting with simple messaging services and then adding other features.

I personally diagree that the term "lean start-up" is a novel term for the business model. It is a business model that doesn't require venture capital and allows companies to build with a focus on the consumer and their needs, versus building the technology that nobody wants.

So the lean playbook advises quick development of a “minimum viable product,” designed with the smallest set of features that will please some group of customers.

I prefer the term "bootstrap operation". It might take time to get the boots or straps, but the lack of overhead makes the operation agile and capable of rapid change based on marketplace feedback.

 


Accessibility, Apple, Mobile Internet
UserpicAdobe Flash Is Officially Dead On Apple Mobile Gadgets
Posted by Sasha

Adobe is to stop making software tools that allow Apple's iPhone and iPad to use its popular Flash technology.

The decision by Adobe reverses an earlier pledge in which it said it would help get Flash working on iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. In mid-April, Adobe released software called Creative Suite 5 that contained translation tools that automatically turn Flash code into programs that run on the iPhone. Apple updated the terms and conditions of the license software developers must sign to create iPhone and iPad applications which in effect placed strict restrictions on what developers can use to create these applications and effectively banned them from using code translators such as Creative Suite 5.


Apple, Mobile Internet, Mobile Internet
UserpicApple Will Reject Apps Created With Adobe Suite
Posted by Sasha

Apple announced imminent changes to the way software development kit is used and will reject any application that didn't use the mandated tools.

Industry experts said the restrictions might be intended to stop developers re-using applications written with Adobe's Flash. Neither the iPhone nor iPad can run Flash applications.

Adobe released a software package, Creative Suite 5, on 12 April which can turn Flash code into iPhone code.

Flash programs are very widely used on the web and many games and videos are created using the software. However, under the new terms and conditions using Creative Suite 5 would lead to an application being rejected.


Accessibility, Apple, DRM, Mobile Internet, Mobile Internet
UserpicAdobe Reaction to Apple Ditching Flash Support
Posted by Sasha

Adobe was prompt to display its dismay over Apple's decision to officially stop supporting Flash on iPod, iPhone and now iPad.

It looks like Apple is continuing to impose restrictions on their devices that limit both content publishers and consumers. Unlike many other ebook readers using the ePub file format, consumers will not be able to access ePub content with Apple's DRM technology on devices made by other manufacturers. And without Flash support, iPad users will not be able to access the full range of web content, including over 70% of games and 75% of video on the web. Read more


Accessibility, Apple, E-Commerce, Mobile Internet, Mobile Internet
UserpicApple Urges iPad-Ready Websites to Ditch Flash
Posted by Moxietype

Apple’s campaign against Adobe Flash has become explicit. The company on Thursday published a website of “iPad-ready websites,” listing sites that support “the latest web standards — including HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript.”

Clearly Apple believes Flash is an outdated standard. Apple has reportedly been urging web developers to use HTML5 for video playback rather than Flash. Noticeably, HTML5 appears 10 times on the “iPad-ready websites” page.

Websites on-board the iPad-ready boat include The New York Times, CNN, Reuters the White House and others.


While Netflix's subscriber base looks set to expand, changes at the United States Postal Service in regards with higher fees and elimination Saturday mail delivery could deliver a serious blow to the fine tuned Netflix's business model.

Netflix is in many ways the epitome of the 21st century company: It's based in Silicon Valley, it sells its services exclusively online, and it employs a hip bit of Web-speak in its name. But even as it boasts many of the trappings of a New Economy juggernaut, Netflix is still almost entirely reliant on that most 19th century of institutions: the United States Postal Service. Indeed, Netflix is the Postal Service’s biggest corporate customer. Read more


While it makes a perfect sense to charge for content, I am afraid that public is already spoiled enough and expects all content to be Free.

The Times and Sunday Times newspapers will start charging to access their websites in June, owner News International (NI) has announced. Users will pay £1 for a day's access and £2 for a week's subscription. Read more


Contrary to the claim on Apple site, I found MOV container incompatible with iPod Touch Browser. I had no problem with MOV on iPhone. They share the same OS, but browsers are different.


Internet, Tech Buzz
UserpicCisco unveiled new Internet technology CRS-3
Posted by Moxietype

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Cisco unveiled a new Internet technology Tuesday that it says will provide the ultra-fast data speeds necessary to stay ahead of users' rapidly growing online video demands.

The new technology, known as "CRS-3," is a network routing system that will be able to offer downloads of up to 322 Terabits per second, according to the company.

Translation: Well in Cisco terms, the router will be able to provide download speeds of 1 Gigabit per second for everyone in San Francisco, download the entire printed collection of the Library of Congress in 1 second and stream every movie ever created in less than 4 minutes.

Full article


E-Commerce
UserpicHulu Is Facing Hard Choices
Posted by Sasha

Hulu's days as a free online video site could be ending soon.

Comedy Central's decision to yank two of the most popular shows on Hulu — "The Daily Show" and "The Colbert Report" — in a dispute over splitting ad revenue is the latest blow to the entertainment industry's attempts to make money off ads that run with free video.

Chase Carey, chief operating officer of Hulu co-owner News Corp., has said that the site would have to start charging for some video eventually, though he and other officials have been mum about when that would happen and what aspects would remain free.

Read more


 The Tribeca Film Festival, according to the article at NYT, has aspirations to distribute films digitally and in theaters under the Tribeca name.