Over the weekend, 60 Minutes aired an expansive interview with Paul Allen where they toured the billionaire cofounder of Microsoft's estate and asked him about Bill Gates and his extravagant lifestyle.
Paul Allen’s new book, Idea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft, will hit book shelves this week. Most of the early buzz has dwelled on Allen’s contentious relationship with Bill Gates, who Allen claims tried to dilute his shares when he had cancer in the early days of Microsoft. Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes asks about the major controversies in the book while touring Allen’s huge estate, including his museum of jet fighters and “tornado” of rare guitars.
The full interview is below.
More interview footage from the tour of Allen’s mansion is also available. Did you know that the Microsoft cofounder has a band of professional musicians he calls up to jam with him, including Dan Akroyd? How about a yacht so big that it has a hidden submarine? If you’re wondering what billions can buy you, you’re about to find out.
Stahl doesn’t throw softballs. At one point, she tells Allen that his life of solitude inside his sprawling estate could be compared to billionaire Howard Hughes to which he responds that he doesn’t think Hughes was into sports.
Here’s one last video CBS took back in 2007 showing Gates and Allen back in the trenches where Microsoft began.
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luni, 25 aprilie 2011
White iPhone 4 to ship on April 20 in UK
UK residents can now place an order for the white iPhone 4 with mobile retailer Three UK. But some doubt remains that all is as it seems.
The absurdly long wait for the white iPhone 4 is (probably) over. British retailer Three UK has officially listed the elusive smartphone for order on its website, reports The Next Web. The device will sell for a subsidized price of £159 for the 32GB model, the same as the black version. The site estimates delivery for April 20, this Wednesday.
If it all pans out, Three’s white iPhone 4 listing is the first of its kind, with real carrier options to boot. It also confirms earlier rumors that have been around for some time that Apple would release the device sometime at the end of April.
According to Engadget, however, Three was unable (or unwilling) to confirm the listing, or the April 20 availability, when the site spoke with Three representatives. This implies that someone at Three may have put the listing up earlier than intended.
Other rumors out today point to the exact date of April 26 as so-called “white iPhone day.” That detail comes via iPhoneItalia, and, if accurate, probably refers to the white iPhone’s release date in Italy, not the US.
Also today, we have new rumors about the iPhone 5, which some say will be pushed back to an October release date. According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of Concord Securities, the iPhone 5 will come loaded with the same A5 processor that’s found in the iPad 2, as well as an 8 megapixel camera. (That camera is said to be made by Sony, rather than Apple’s regular optics supplier OmniVision.)
Kuo also says that, while Apple will offer “slight” design modifications on its fifth generation iPhone, the company will focus more on the software’s operating system (i.e. iOS 5) rather than major hardware changes.
As far as the white iPhone 4 is concerned, we’re all once again waiting to see the device can actually be purchased. That is, those of us who haven’t given up on the device entirely are waiting. Everyone else is just waiting for the iPhone 5 — even if that one is a little late, too.
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The absurdly long wait for the white iPhone 4 is (probably) over. British retailer Three UK has officially listed the elusive smartphone for order on its website, reports The Next Web. The device will sell for a subsidized price of £159 for the 32GB model, the same as the black version. The site estimates delivery for April 20, this Wednesday.
If it all pans out, Three’s white iPhone 4 listing is the first of its kind, with real carrier options to boot. It also confirms earlier rumors that have been around for some time that Apple would release the device sometime at the end of April.
According to Engadget, however, Three was unable (or unwilling) to confirm the listing, or the April 20 availability, when the site spoke with Three representatives. This implies that someone at Three may have put the listing up earlier than intended.
Other rumors out today point to the exact date of April 26 as so-called “white iPhone day.” That detail comes via iPhoneItalia, and, if accurate, probably refers to the white iPhone’s release date in Italy, not the US.
Also today, we have new rumors about the iPhone 5, which some say will be pushed back to an October release date. According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of Concord Securities, the iPhone 5 will come loaded with the same A5 processor that’s found in the iPad 2, as well as an 8 megapixel camera. (That camera is said to be made by Sony, rather than Apple’s regular optics supplier OmniVision.)
Kuo also says that, while Apple will offer “slight” design modifications on its fifth generation iPhone, the company will focus more on the software’s operating system (i.e. iOS 5) rather than major hardware changes.
As far as the white iPhone 4 is concerned, we’re all once again waiting to see the device can actually be purchased. That is, those of us who haven’t given up on the device entirely are waiting. Everyone else is just waiting for the iPhone 5 — even if that one is a little late, too.
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duminică, 24 aprilie 2011
Demand Media dismisses effects of Google algorithm update
Despite evidence that a recent Google update decimated traffic to eHow.com, the site's publisher, Demand Media, says it's just not true.
A recent update to Google’s search algorithm intended to knock down the visibility of “content farms” and other “low quality” websites in its results has reduced traffic to sites like Demand Media’s flagship site eHow.com. But according to Demand Media, the reduction in page view growth has been negligible — not the nearly two-thirds traffic drop determined by some estimates.
“Certain third parties that have published reports attempting to estimate the effect of recent search engine algorithm changes made by Google on traffic to the Company’s owned and operated websites have significantly overstated the negative impact of those changes on traffic to eHow.com, as compared to the Company’s directly measured internal data,” said Demand Media in a statement on its website.
Demand’s executive vice president Larry Fitzgibbon furthered shrugged-off studies of the effects on eHow’s traffic caused by the Google update, known as Panda, saying in a blog post that the estimates were “significantly overstate. He added that Demand Media’s “owned and operated Content & Media properties will generate year-over-year page view growth comparable to or greater than the year-over-year page view growth reported for Q2 2010.”
Fitzgibbon’s claims contradict a recent study by Sistrix — one of the “third parties” Demand Media aims to discredit — which show that traffic to eHow.com dropped by 66 percent because of the most recent Google search update.
Other sites Sistrix says were negatively affected include Life123.com, Spike.com and 10best.com.
Sites that saw a marked improvement in traffic include Daily Motion, whose traffic reportedly rose by 31 percent, the highest of any other site, according to Sistrix. Other sites that saw a jump in visitors are Yelp.com, Etsy.com Mashable, Reuters and PC Mag. The Huffington Post — considered by many to be guilty of the same reader-baiting tactics as many content farms — saw an 8 percent bump in traffic.
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A recent update to Google’s search algorithm intended to knock down the visibility of “content farms” and other “low quality” websites in its results has reduced traffic to sites like Demand Media’s flagship site eHow.com. But according to Demand Media, the reduction in page view growth has been negligible — not the nearly two-thirds traffic drop determined by some estimates.
“Certain third parties that have published reports attempting to estimate the effect of recent search engine algorithm changes made by Google on traffic to the Company’s owned and operated websites have significantly overstated the negative impact of those changes on traffic to eHow.com, as compared to the Company’s directly measured internal data,” said Demand Media in a statement on its website.
Demand’s executive vice president Larry Fitzgibbon furthered shrugged-off studies of the effects on eHow’s traffic caused by the Google update, known as Panda, saying in a blog post that the estimates were “significantly overstate. He added that Demand Media’s “owned and operated Content & Media properties will generate year-over-year page view growth comparable to or greater than the year-over-year page view growth reported for Q2 2010.”
Fitzgibbon’s claims contradict a recent study by Sistrix — one of the “third parties” Demand Media aims to discredit — which show that traffic to eHow.com dropped by 66 percent because of the most recent Google search update.
Other sites Sistrix says were negatively affected include Life123.com, Spike.com and 10best.com.
Sites that saw a marked improvement in traffic include Daily Motion, whose traffic reportedly rose by 31 percent, the highest of any other site, according to Sistrix. Other sites that saw a jump in visitors are Yelp.com, Etsy.com Mashable, Reuters and PC Mag. The Huffington Post — considered by many to be guilty of the same reader-baiting tactics as many content farms — saw an 8 percent bump in traffic.
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Apple iPhone 4 to become most-used camera on Flickr
According to Flickr's count, popularity of Apple's iPhone 4 has skyrocketed while point-and-shoot cameras appear to be quickly going the way of the Dodo bird.
Apple’s iPhone 4 is on track to surpass all other cameras used to take photos posted to Flickr within the next month. Point-and-shoot cameras, on the other hand, have fallen in the opposite direction.
According to Flickr’s internal analytics, the Nikon D90 is used by more of the site’s photographers than any other camera. In fact, aside from the iPhone 4, DSLR cameras dominate the top five spots, with Canon’s Digital Rebel XSi, 5D Mark II and Rebel T1i taking ranks three, four and five.
Since Flickr has become a favorite among professional photographers and amateur photographers who wish they were professionals, it’s no surprise that DSLRs are as popular as they are. As TechCrunch points out, however, the important factor to take into consideration when looking at this graph is that the iPhone 4 is less than a year old. Compare that to the D90, which has been available for three years, and the meteoric rise of Apple’s latest smartphone seems even more impressive — or terrifying, if you’re in the camera-making business.
Point-and-shoot cameras have gone in the exact opposite direction as the iPhone 4. Canon’s PowerShot line completely dominates this sector, but the percentage of Flickr members who use these cameras has plummeted to staggeringly low numbers.
The most popular point-and-shoot, Canon’s PowerShot SD1100 IS, for instance, was used by 496 Flickr members on Sunday, who uploaded a total of just over 10,000 photos. The iPhone 4, by contrast, was used by nearly 10 times as many people — 4,653 users — on Sunday, who uploaded more than 43,000 pictures.
While Flickr’s analytics should be taken with a grain of salt — they don’t necessarily represent the market at-large — the data does support a long-standing belief among industry watchers that the point-and-shoot is gasping its last breaths. The smothering pillow of connected devices like the iPhone 4 only makes staying alive that much more difficult.
To anyone who uses the iPhone 4 on a regular basis, the benefits of the device are obvious: For the average user, the photos it takes are just as good — or better — than most point-and-shoots; its wireless connectivity and apps allow for simple photo-sharing.
Yes, the iPhone 4 is more awkward to use than a dedicated camera, especially without the presence of a physical “shoot” button. And the phone’s digital zoom is nothing compared to an optical zoom, especially on the high-quality point-and-shoot devices made by Canon. But when uploading photos to Flickr can be done on the go, and iPhone apps like Instagram quickly make photos look more interesting than anything most people can crank out of a point-and-shoot, it’s easy to see why the iPhone 4 has become such a worthy adversary to the camera industry.
View the original article here
Apple’s iPhone 4 is on track to surpass all other cameras used to take photos posted to Flickr within the next month. Point-and-shoot cameras, on the other hand, have fallen in the opposite direction.
According to Flickr’s internal analytics, the Nikon D90 is used by more of the site’s photographers than any other camera. In fact, aside from the iPhone 4, DSLR cameras dominate the top five spots, with Canon’s Digital Rebel XSi, 5D Mark II and Rebel T1i taking ranks three, four and five.
Since Flickr has become a favorite among professional photographers and amateur photographers who wish they were professionals, it’s no surprise that DSLRs are as popular as they are. As TechCrunch points out, however, the important factor to take into consideration when looking at this graph is that the iPhone 4 is less than a year old. Compare that to the D90, which has been available for three years, and the meteoric rise of Apple’s latest smartphone seems even more impressive — or terrifying, if you’re in the camera-making business.
Point-and-shoot cameras have gone in the exact opposite direction as the iPhone 4. Canon’s PowerShot line completely dominates this sector, but the percentage of Flickr members who use these cameras has plummeted to staggeringly low numbers.
The most popular point-and-shoot, Canon’s PowerShot SD1100 IS, for instance, was used by 496 Flickr members on Sunday, who uploaded a total of just over 10,000 photos. The iPhone 4, by contrast, was used by nearly 10 times as many people — 4,653 users — on Sunday, who uploaded more than 43,000 pictures.
While Flickr’s analytics should be taken with a grain of salt — they don’t necessarily represent the market at-large — the data does support a long-standing belief among industry watchers that the point-and-shoot is gasping its last breaths. The smothering pillow of connected devices like the iPhone 4 only makes staying alive that much more difficult.
To anyone who uses the iPhone 4 on a regular basis, the benefits of the device are obvious: For the average user, the photos it takes are just as good — or better — than most point-and-shoots; its wireless connectivity and apps allow for simple photo-sharing.
Yes, the iPhone 4 is more awkward to use than a dedicated camera, especially without the presence of a physical “shoot” button. And the phone’s digital zoom is nothing compared to an optical zoom, especially on the high-quality point-and-shoot devices made by Canon. But when uploading photos to Flickr can be done on the go, and iPhone apps like Instagram quickly make photos look more interesting than anything most people can crank out of a point-and-shoot, it’s easy to see why the iPhone 4 has become such a worthy adversary to the camera industry.
View the original article here
Rumor: Samsung to release 2GHz dual-core phone, as powerful as some PCs
Rumors from a Korean tech site suggest that Samsung may be prepping a 2GHz dual-core phone for the near future. It's processor may be marketed under Samsung's new Exynos brand.
According to new rumors, Samsung is actively working on a new smartphone that will have a 2GHz dual-core processor, outdoing anything currently on the market. The new processor will be a system-on-a-chip and may be marketed under Samsung’s Exynos brand, which is typically reserved for tablet PCs and netbooks, reports Korean site Daum.net (via Phandroid).
“We are planning to release a 2Ghz dual core CPU-equipped smartphone by next year,” said a high-ranking official from the company, according to Daum. “This product will have the data processing capacities of a regular PC.”
In a way, this is true. Most modern PCs have between 3GHz and 6GHz of processing power, though they use somewhat different architecture. This rumor is also highly plausible. HTC and other manufacturers have already debuted up to 1.6GHz mobile processors; it stands to reason that 2GHz is just around the corner. The real question is, exactly how much power does a smartphone really need? A top of the line laptop that is meant for running countless simultaneous operations usually has less than a 2GHz quad-core processor. We can’t imagine a smartphone needing that much power–at least not yet.
There is no word on when this rumored phone might be released or what operating system might run on it.
View the original article here
According to new rumors, Samsung is actively working on a new smartphone that will have a 2GHz dual-core processor, outdoing anything currently on the market. The new processor will be a system-on-a-chip and may be marketed under Samsung’s Exynos brand, which is typically reserved for tablet PCs and netbooks, reports Korean site Daum.net (via Phandroid).
“We are planning to release a 2Ghz dual core CPU-equipped smartphone by next year,” said a high-ranking official from the company, according to Daum. “This product will have the data processing capacities of a regular PC.”
In a way, this is true. Most modern PCs have between 3GHz and 6GHz of processing power, though they use somewhat different architecture. This rumor is also highly plausible. HTC and other manufacturers have already debuted up to 1.6GHz mobile processors; it stands to reason that 2GHz is just around the corner. The real question is, exactly how much power does a smartphone really need? A top of the line laptop that is meant for running countless simultaneous operations usually has less than a 2GHz quad-core processor. We can’t imagine a smartphone needing that much power–at least not yet.
There is no word on when this rumored phone might be released or what operating system might run on it.
View the original article here
Xperia neo - HD video sample
Today, we have a sample video shot with the Xperia neo - enjoy!
We already provided you an unboxing video of the Xperia neo. We also took the retail version of the Android for a test drive and shot an HD video (indoor).
Just like the Xperia arc, the neo features the EXMOR R sensor from Sony. The sample video was shot in fair light condition indoors. We were quite impressed by the vivid colors, but check it out for yourself (make sure you set the resolution to HD via the button below the video):
View the original article here
We already provided you an unboxing video of the Xperia neo. We also took the retail version of the Android for a test drive and shot an HD video (indoor).
Just like the Xperia arc, the neo features the EXMOR R sensor from Sony. The sample video was shot in fair light condition indoors. We were quite impressed by the vivid colors, but check it out for yourself (make sure you set the resolution to HD via the button below the video):
View the original article here
Match.com to screen for sex offenders
Online dating site Match.com says it will begin screening U.S. users against a national sex offender registry.
Anyone who’s used an online dating service has probably felt like they were being virtually “checked out,” but Match.com is getting ready to take that to a whole new level. According to the Associated Press, the online dating service plans to begin screening its U.S. users against a national sex offender registry, after a California woman sued the company after saying someone she met through the service assaulted her.
According to comments by Match.com spokesperson Matthew Traub, the company had been considering the screening option for some time, and is not a direct response to the new lawsuit against the company. The company says it had been considering the option for some time, and had only now decided to go ahead with it because of improvements to the database and accuracy of matching systems, although the screening will still be imperfect. The screening procedure will be implemented in the next two to three months.
Last week, a California woman sued Match.com, is seeking a temporary injunction barring the site from accepting new members until a screening is in place. The woman, identified only as “Jane Doe” and an entertainment industry executive, says she was assaulted last year by a man she met via Match.com. Following a second date, attorney Mark. L. Webb says the man followed the woman home and attacked her. The suit claims the attacker had previously faced sex crime charges, and the assault could have been prevented if Match.com had perform screening on its members.
Match.com offers a variety of safety tips on its Web site in an effort to help users protect themselves both in the real world and online. Match.com’s terms of service specifically disclaim responsibility for interactions between members.
View the original article here
Anyone who’s used an online dating service has probably felt like they were being virtually “checked out,” but Match.com is getting ready to take that to a whole new level. According to the Associated Press, the online dating service plans to begin screening its U.S. users against a national sex offender registry, after a California woman sued the company after saying someone she met through the service assaulted her.
According to comments by Match.com spokesperson Matthew Traub, the company had been considering the screening option for some time, and is not a direct response to the new lawsuit against the company. The company says it had been considering the option for some time, and had only now decided to go ahead with it because of improvements to the database and accuracy of matching systems, although the screening will still be imperfect. The screening procedure will be implemented in the next two to three months.
Last week, a California woman sued Match.com, is seeking a temporary injunction barring the site from accepting new members until a screening is in place. The woman, identified only as “Jane Doe” and an entertainment industry executive, says she was assaulted last year by a man she met via Match.com. Following a second date, attorney Mark. L. Webb says the man followed the woman home and attacked her. The suit claims the attacker had previously faced sex crime charges, and the assault could have been prevented if Match.com had perform screening on its members.
Match.com offers a variety of safety tips on its Web site in an effort to help users protect themselves both in the real world and online. Match.com’s terms of service specifically disclaim responsibility for interactions between members.
View the original article here
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