Google thinks that now is the time to incorporate the social-network into the search engine | IslamOnline.net
Perhaps surprising to some, Google too makes mistakes. This fact was on display with the February launch of Buzz, Google’s social networking service apparently aimed at competing with Facebook and Twitter.
The problem was not Buzz itself, but the hasty manner with which Google pushed it onto its Gmail users. Like Twitter and Facebook, Buzz enables users to post “status” updates, links, photos, and the whole repertoire of Web-borne distractions.
However, eager to make its presence immediately felt in the new realm, Google decided not to start from scratch. Instead, it tied the new social-networking service to Gmail, its mail service with about 175 million users. And before users knew it, they were, without permission, signed up on Buzz, and assigned lists of “followers” based on the frequency of email exchanges with people in their address books.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Of iPad and the elusive "third category"
Apple's chief says iPad will sit comfortably in the space between smart-phones and laptops -- except that such space probably doesn't exist | IslamOnline.net
Whenever Steve Jobs takes the stage, he’s guaranteed to amaze and disappoint, regardless of what he has up his sleeve. The Wednesday uncovering of Apple’s long-anticipated, feverishly-rumored tablet-like iPad was no exception. Almost immediately after Apple’s chief took the wraps off the new gadget, the blogosphere was humming with mutterings: too expensive; no slot for memory expansion; no removable battery; no physical keyboard; and no camera either.
As for the other camp, the immediately-amazed — judging by the volume and tone of comments on popular technology websites such as Engadget and Gizmodo — they’ve plenty to appreciate in the iPad. That includes the expansive 10-inch brilliant screen, the familiar interface (resembling, but not copying, that of iPhone and iPod Touch), the compatibility of the whole repertoire of iPhone apps, and the new iBooks app that draws books from five major book publishers in an iTunes-like interface.
Whenever Steve Jobs takes the stage, he’s guaranteed to amaze and disappoint, regardless of what he has up his sleeve. The Wednesday uncovering of Apple’s long-anticipated, feverishly-rumored tablet-like iPad was no exception. Almost immediately after Apple’s chief took the wraps off the new gadget, the blogosphere was humming with mutterings: too expensive; no slot for memory expansion; no removable battery; no physical keyboard; and no camera either.
As for the other camp, the immediately-amazed — judging by the volume and tone of comments on popular technology websites such as Engadget and Gizmodo — they’ve plenty to appreciate in the iPad. That includes the expansive 10-inch brilliant screen, the familiar interface (resembling, but not copying, that of iPhone and iPod Touch), the compatibility of the whole repertoire of iPhone apps, and the new iBooks app that draws books from five major book publishers in an iTunes-like interface.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
In Avatar, the medium eclipses the message
Avatar is a runaway success apparently because of its cutting-edge technology, but it's not immediately clear whether that spells a boon or a bane for the future of film | IslamOnline.net
Like other films by James Cameron (of Titanic and Terminator), Avatar strives to please most everyone in the movie-going crowd: a tale of an epic struggle of "noble savages" against the much more technologically advanced, but arrogant and short-sighted, invaders from Earth, with a plot sprinkled with a love story, a journey of self-discovery, a greedy corporation, and plenty of not-so-subtle pro-environment and anti-Iraq war references.
Like other films by James Cameron (of Titanic and Terminator), Avatar strives to please most everyone in the movie-going crowd: a tale of an epic struggle of "noble savages" against the much more technologically advanced, but arrogant and short-sighted, invaders from Earth, with a plot sprinkled with a love story, a journey of self-discovery, a greedy corporation, and plenty of not-so-subtle pro-environment and anti-Iraq war references.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
More convenience, less privacy
The Web offers a seductive bargain: you will get more of it if you will stop being nervous about your privacy | IslamOnline.net
Privacy online is like no other privacy. That is not because the Web is a wild west full of sinister people bent on breaking into your digital lives (though, of course, some such criminals indeed roam the cyberspace). Rather, privacy on the web is a category of its own because of the peculiarity of the Web as a communications medium.
That peculiarity has two main features. One is the Web as the ultimate storage medium. The other is the Web as a medium that has given rise to a new breed of highly diverse service providers whom we entrust with vast amounts of information about ourselves. Think of Google, Yahoo, or Facebook.
Privacy online is like no other privacy. That is not because the Web is a wild west full of sinister people bent on breaking into your digital lives (though, of course, some such criminals indeed roam the cyberspace). Rather, privacy on the web is a category of its own because of the peculiarity of the Web as a communications medium.
That peculiarity has two main features. One is the Web as the ultimate storage medium. The other is the Web as a medium that has given rise to a new breed of highly diverse service providers whom we entrust with vast amounts of information about ourselves. Think of Google, Yahoo, or Facebook.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Doomed, or saved, by the app
Web applications are making our bond with the operating system ever more tenuous, but an old breed of applications is countering the trend | IslamOnline.net
The cloud is here. Cloud computing, that is. The term is not self-explanatory, but what it essentially means is that more and more of the tasks we could perform only on hard disk-installed applications (apps) are now doable on the Web.
Whether you want to type and format a document, do a bit of number-crunching on a spreadsheet, or view PDF files, Web-based apps from Zoho, Google, or Scribd, among others, would often suffice. In the old days, as in the 1990s until the early 2000s, such tasks were mostly the preserve of applications installed on the hard disk, with Microsoft’s Office suite enjoying, or having enjoyed, a nearly dominant position in that domain.
The cloud is here. Cloud computing, that is. The term is not self-explanatory, but what it essentially means is that more and more of the tasks we could perform only on hard disk-installed applications (apps) are now doable on the Web.
Whether you want to type and format a document, do a bit of number-crunching on a spreadsheet, or view PDF files, Web-based apps from Zoho, Google, or Scribd, among others, would often suffice. In the old days, as in the 1990s until the early 2000s, such tasks were mostly the preserve of applications installed on the hard disk, with Microsoft’s Office suite enjoying, or having enjoyed, a nearly dominant position in that domain.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
You shall upgrade to Windows 7 (or not?)
Yes, it could be the greatest Windows yet, but particularly novel about the Seventh is that you may not need to buy it | Islamonline.net
In the minds of many, Windows, the operating system, has often been associated with some notion of inevitability:that it was inevitable that one upgrades to the most recent release of Windows. Or that Windows was inevitably going to be rendered unnecessary thanks to free or much cheaper alternatives. As is often the case, reality lies somewhere between these two extremes.
In the minds of many, Windows, the operating system, has often been associated with some notion of inevitability:that it was inevitable that one upgrades to the most recent release of Windows. Or that Windows was inevitably going to be rendered unnecessary thanks to free or much cheaper alternatives. As is often the case, reality lies somewhere between these two extremes.
There is reason, though, to revisit the "inevitability debate" as Microsoft releases, with relatively uncharacteristic advertising restraint, the seventh in its Windows dynasty.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Let Amazon decide for you
Technology companies' innovative spirit is taking them into new territory: devising their own laws on how you use their services and devices | IslamOnline.net
You own your PDF files — unless, or until, they think otherwise. This may come as bad news since, if you are like many, you probably use PDF (Portable Document Format) for saving a variety of file types: text documents, pictures, and scan images, among others.
In fact, PDF has become so widespread that the ability to display (and even annotate) PDF files has become almost a standard requirement in smart phones and e-book readers, such as Amazon's and Sony's.
PDF, of course, does not think.
You own your PDF files — unless, or until, they think otherwise. This may come as bad news since, if you are like many, you probably use PDF (Portable Document Format) for saving a variety of file types: text documents, pictures, and scan images, among others.
In fact, PDF has become so widespread that the ability to display (and even annotate) PDF files has become almost a standard requirement in smart phones and e-book readers, such as Amazon's and Sony's.
PDF, of course, does not think.
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