iTunes 8.1 Adds AutoFill to All iPod Models

iTunes has always filled the iPod shuffle with music to capacity without asking for much intervention from you, but Apple snuck the same very handy functionality for all iPod models in the recent iTunes 8.1 release.

If you'd like to enable AutoFill with your iPod or iPhone, Ars has the details:

Visit the Summary tab and make sure you're set up to "Manually manage music and videos." Once you've done that, use the triangle to reveal the contents of your iPod or iPhone, and click on Music, at which point you'll see the source selector, Autofill settings, and Autofill button at the bottom of the screen.

We did mention this in the bullet-list of features that were added to 8.1, but if you missed this useful addition, it's worth highlighting. In fact, while iTunes DJ and Genius for TV and movies were the marquee features in the latest release, we'd argue that in terms of actually useful functionality, AutoFill is probably the best addition to iTunes 8.1 for iPod owners.

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Ericsson and Alcatel-Lucent Win the Verizon Wireless LTE Sweepstakes; Clearwire Talks Trash

The battle for the fourth generation wireless networks is officially on.

At the Mobile World Congress trade show in Bareclona today, Verizon Wireless announced that it has selected Ericsson and Alcatel-Lucent to provide the bulk of the telecom equipment for its new fourth-generation wireless network. Verizon also tapped Starent Networks to provide some gear as well. This win can translate into billions of dollars in business over the next few years.

The stocks of all three companies jumped 1.5% today, while the major indexes were flat or down slightly.There were a few losers as well. The decision is a blow to other equipment suppliers that participated in trials with Verizon and Vodafone but weren’t selected to build the network: Nortel Networks Corp., Motorola Corp., Huawei Technologies Co., and Nokia Siemens Networks, the joint venture between Nokia Corp. and Siemens AG.

Nokia Siemens wasn’t a total loser, though. It got picked to be a supplier for one of the network’s subsystems that will run multimedia applications.

Known as Long-Term Evolution, or LTE, the new technology will give wireless consumers a true broadband experience on their cell phones and handheld devices so they can watch high-quality video and listen to music without delay or interruption.

Verizon plans to offer the so-called LTE network starting in 2010. Field trials of the network in Minneapolis, Columbus, Ohio, Northern New Jersey and Europe have demonstrated download rates of 50 to 60 Mbps.

Verizon’s announcement also spooked investors in Clearwire, which is offering a service on a competing technology called WiMax. Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE deployment uses the company’s recently acquired 700 MHz spectrum. WiMax, which is backed by Sprint, Clearwire and tech industry heavyweights such as Intel and Google.

Clearwire’s stock fell more than 2% on the news, as well as the announcement by Comcast that it took a $600 million write-down on its $1 billion investment in Clearwire.

Clearwire even put out a release in response to the Verizon news, trying to spin a negative into a positive. In the statement, Clearwire made the bold claim that “today, Clearwire customers experience better speeds and bandwidth than what is being described as next year’s LTE networks.”

by :Spencer Ante from http://www.businessweek.com

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Sony's Vaio P: Slim and sexy, but don't call it a 'Netbook'

Never mind the tiny physical footprint of the Vaio P, if you ask Sony, they will tell you they have never made a netbook. If you ask me, however, I'll tell you they just did.Why does Sony regard its smallest Vaio as a notebook and not a netbook? They have endowed the tiny (9.65" x .78" x 4.72") machine with a 1.33 GHz Intel processor, has 2GB of DDR2 SDRAM,Windows Vista Home Premium or 32-bit Home Basic and up to 128GB of flash memory or 60GB HDD. Representatives I spoke to this evening classified a netbook as a device that's encumbered by a processor too slow to handle a full desktop or notebook OS (and therefore derives much of its value from its connectivity).


After handling the Vaio P, I would beg to differ. I would say a netbook is any computer that demands a substantial adjustment of the user's computing technique to accomplish a task. This could happen because of a slower processor, but it could just as easily happen because of limited screen real estate or an awkward physical interface like a cramped keyboard or oddly-placed mouse buttons. Whether Sony likes it or not, the tiny form factor of the Vaio P forces the user to adjust.

Firstly, the size of the screen: though it's 8 inches across and extremely dense in pixels, the odd dimensions change the workspace substantially. Second, the keyboard is problematic. It is absolutely rock solid and responsive, but the placement of the pointing stick cuts into the size of the G, B, and H keys and necessitates some alertness when typing quickly.

To shrink down the unit to about the thickness of an issue of The Economist (or Guns and Ammo, if you're so inclined), the ethernet port and VGA out have been removed from the chassis and placed on the unit's charging dock. This means if you use a wired connection or external monitor, you have to carry around an extra block of plastic that is independent from the power cord/charger components. The Vaio P also has two USB ports, one less than most netbooks.

Netbook or not, the Vaio P is undeniably elegant, with an instant on feature that utilizes Sony's trademark XMB interface, integrated A2DP bluetooth, integrated mobile broadband connectivity, and GPS. For $899, there is a lot of computer rolled in that miniscule frame.

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Panasonic Exec Sees 3D HD As The Next Big Thing

Will consumers really be willing to put on a pair of 3D glass to watch TV?

For few days ago, Panasonic (PC) made the case for 3D television in a press conference at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. In an interview on Friday with Tech Trader Daily, Yoshi Yamada, CEO of Panasonic’s North American arm, asserted that 3D could be the third great leap in the history of television, ranking with the move to color from black and white and the switch to flat-panels from cathode ray tubes.Yamada sees 3D as a way to amp up consumer excitement about television, and contends that 3D high-def televisions are “just around the corner,” with a target of 2010 for the introduction of the first commercially available 3D capable televisions. That seems ridiculously optimistic; as Yamada notes, the industry still has to agree to a standard for 3D broadcasts; he says Panasonic is holding talks with the Blu-Ray trade group and others, but concedes that there are a number of proposed standards for 3D. Other obvious hurdles: the lack of 3D content and the need for consumer to put on special glasses to watch television.

Although, certainly, nothing is more stylin’ than a pair of 3D specs.

I’d note that Panasonic was not the only company at the show singing the praises of 3D video; the subject took up a considerable chunk of time in the keynote on Thursday by Sony (SNE) CEO Sir Howard Stringer. I’d suggest that’s it no accident that the CE players are talking about 3D TV at a time when sales growth for flat-panel TVs has slowed dramatically: it’s another reason to upgrade.

Yamada said Panasonic is accelerating the completion of a 3D Blu-Ray authoring system, and should have it completed by the end of the month. Yamada said it is too early to say how the addition of 3D functionality will affect the cost of building flat-panel displays.

On the outlook for 2009, Yamada said “we’re certainly facing very challenging times, no question about that,” but that the industry is far better positioned than, say, the housing or auto industries. He notes that the Consumer Electronics Association is expecting a flat year in 2009; he thinks Panasonic can do better than that.

Friday morning, Panasonic announced that it might not hit its financial targets for the March 2009 fiscal year.

Yamada said the company’s U.S. flat panel business had been doing well through the end of September, then slowed down beginning in the middle of October. He said November was “discouraging,” but that December sales were actually better than expected in flat-panel TVs and Blu-Ray players. “There was growth,” he says. “Not big growth, but it didn’t drop.” By contrast, he says sales in December were down “sharply” in camcorders, digital still cameras and audio systems.

On Friday, Panasonic fell 28 cents, or 2.1%, to $13.14.

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Sony Rolls Out Wi-Fi Digital Camera with Web Browser

Jan 09, 2009 (Close-Up Media via COMTEX) ----Sony introduced what it called the world's first Wi-Fi enabled digital camera that uploads photos and videos to Web sites through any public hotspot due to its built-in Web browser.The new Cyber-shot DSC-G3 digital still camera answers one of the most pressing needs for photo enthusiasts: how to share those photos and video clips of family, friends and events as soon as you shoot. The Cyber-shot camera makes it easy to upload images and video directly to photo and video sharing sites wherever a Wi-Fi connection is available.

"Research shows that our customers greatly value sharing images and video clips, but they often forget or don't have enough time if they wait to get home to upload images," said Phil Lubell, director of digital camera marketing at Sony Electronics. "Our new Cyber-shot DSC-G3 camera provides the simplicity and convenience of sharing in the moment, while the impulse is still fresh in people's minds."

The camera can wirelessly connect to any public hotspot, including hotels, restaurants, coffee shops and airports. Like a computer, the camera can connect to free or fee-based hotspots, as well as to secure and unsecured access points.

The new DSC-G3 model comes with complimentary AT&T Wi-Fi access to Sony's Easy Upload Home Page until Jan. 31, 2012. It includes Wi-Fi access at thousands of AT&T hotspots across the United States, including Starbucks, selected book stores and major quick-serve restaurant locations, as well as hundreds of upscale hotels and airports.

"By collaborating with Sony to launch the first digital still camera with a built in Web browser and embedded access across the entire AT&T Wi-Fi service network, we're enabling consumers to gain quick and convenient access to Sony's Easy Upload Homepage through thousands of AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots across the country," said Glenn Lurie, president of AT&T's emerging device organization. "The wireless capabilities and cutting-edge features of the G3 camera with the reliable coverage of AT&T's Wi-Fi network offers a unique consumer experience."

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Dell Launches Luxury Adamo Brand, $99 Mini-Laptop

Less than an inch thick with a 13-inch screen, the Adamo supports three USB ports and an eSATA jack, which could be used for plugging in an external hard drive.
Dell on Friday launched a luxury laptop line called Adamo and also took the wraps off its 10-inch Inspiron mini-laptop that it plans to sell for $99 with a two-year AT&T wireless broadband service contract.

The announcements were made during a news conference at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Dell executives revealed very few details about Adamo, as a model removed a thin, black laptop from a bag and posed with the machine. She did not turn it on and executives didn't say what was inside. Adamo means "to fall in love with" in Latin.

"We're not going to have very much more to say about this today -- just kind of a little bit of a sneak peek," said Michael Tatelman, VP of consumer sales and marketing at Dell.

A video of the Adamo suggests the laptop is less than an inch thick and has a 13-inch screen. Reports suggest the computer supports three USB ports and an eSATA jack, which could be used for plugging in an external hard drive.

Dell did not disclose pricing of the luxury line, which the company is launching in the midst of an economic recession. More details are expected in the next six months, according to The Associated Press.

In the meantime, Tatelman told reporters that the Inspiron Mini 10 would be sold exclusively by Dell for $99, with a $350 mail-in rebate. To qualify for the discount, buyers would have to sign up for a two-year service contract from AT&T, which costs about $60 a month.

The Mini 10 features an edge-to-edge 10-inch display and keyboard. It also has a built-in TV tuner and integrated GPS technology, 3G mobile broadband, and 802.11n Wi-Fi. The system is powered by an Intel (NSDQ: INTC) Atom Z530 processor. Pricing and a release date were not disclosed.

AT&T (NYSE: T) has partnered with other computer makers in offering to subsidize purchases of systems, if the buyer signs up for its DataConnect service. In October, for example, AT&T and Lenovo offered up to $150 off any ThinkPad notebooks bought with a two-year service contract. The deal was aimed at corporate buyers.

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USB 3.0

I was surprised to read on Wired today that’s it been eight years since the last update to the USB standard that is ubiquitous amongst today’s electronic devices. Now it seems is a good time for an update, and that’s where USB 3.0 comes in.
USB 3.0 will allow data exchange of 4.8 Gigabits per second which is ten times faster that USB 2.0! That means you can transfer a bluray movie in approximately one minute!

At a glance:USB 3.0

* Faster: Ten times faster than USB 2.0 and six times faster than FireWire 800
* Greater power efficiency: New interrupt driven protocol optimizes power management.
* Better Power Output: Power output bump to 900 milliamps from 100 milliamps allows more devices to be charged faster via USB.
* Backward Compatible: New Connectors and cables will work with work with devices running the older USB 2.0

Filed under: Geek

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New Plugins for Windows Live Photo Gallery

Yummy! No longer will I have to use the god-forsaken Facebook photo upload tool – thank you Will Duff!!!! http://blogs.msdn.com/pix/pages/Plug_2D00_ins.aspx

Windows Live Photo Gallery (Beta) and Windows Live Movie Maker (Beta) make it simple to add publishing support for 3rd party sharing services. Simply download and install a plug-in and start publishing. Note: plug-ins only work with the new beta versions of Photo Gallery and Movie Maker available here.



LiveUpload to Facebook - Created by Will Duff. LiveUpload to Facebook is a plug-in for Windows Live Photo Gallery Beta that makes it easy for anyone to upload their photos to Facebook. The plug-in takes advantage of the new people tagging feature in Windows Live Photo Gallery Beta to persist your people tags onto Facebook.

LiveUpload to YouTube - Created by Will Duff. LiveUpload to YouTube is a plug-in for Windows Live Photo Gallery Beta and Windows Live Movie Maker Beta that makes it easy for anyone to upload their videos straight to YouTube.

Publish on SmugMug - Created by Omar Shahine. Publish on SmugMug is a plug-in for Photo Gallery & Movie Maker that supports publishing photos and video to the photo sharing site SmugMug.

Publish on Flickr - Created by Windows Live. Did you know Flickr is already supported in Windows Live Photo Gallery? Look on the Publish menu!

Picasa Web Publisher - Created by Mark Steeves. Picasa Web Publisher is a publishing plugin for Photo Gallery. Picasa Web Publisher enables you to publish your photos to your Picasa Web account.

Drupal Publisher - Created by Chris Charabaruk. Drupal Publisher for Photo Gallery provides a quick and easy way to post your photos on a Drupal web site. Some experience with setting up Drupal modules may be required.

... We will be updating this page with links to more great plug-ins as they come available. Keep checking back!


Are you a developer?

Start building your own publish plug-in today using our SDK. Take a look at the resources we've provided at http://dev.live.com/photogallery.

Filed under: Live, Windows Live

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Scientists Hack Cellphone to Analyze Blood, Detect Disease, Help Developing Nations

LOS ANGELES — A new MacGyver-esque cellphone hack could bring cheap, on-the-spot disease detection to even the most remote villages on the planet. Using only an LED, plastic light filter and some wires, scientists at UCLA have modded a cellphone into a portable blood tester capable of detecting HIV, malaria and other illnesses.Blood tests today require either refrigerator-sized machines that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars or a trained technician who manually identifies and counts cells under a microscope. These systems are slow, expensive and require dedicated labs to function. And soon they could be a thing of the past.

UCLA researcher Dr. Aydogan Ozcan images thousands of blood cells instantly by placing them on an off-the-shelf camera sensor and lighting them with a filtered-light source (coherent light, for you science buffs). The filtered light exposes distinctive qualities of the cells, which are then interpreted by Ozcan's custom software. By analyzing the cell types present in a much larger sample, a more accurate diagnosis can be made in a matter of minutes. No more sending blood away to a lab and waiting days or weeks for the results.

Click through the gallery for Wired.com's exclusive first look at Ozcan’s hacked cellphone devices.

UP: This off-the-shelf Sony Ericsson cellphone has been modded into a LUCAS imager. LUCAS is a selective acronym for Lensfree Ultrawide-field Cell-monitoring Array platform based on Shadow imaging.

The bulge on the back is the filtered light source that illuminates the sample. This low-cost hack could revolutionize disease detection in the field.

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LG Renoir (LG-KC910) Full Touchscreen 8 Megapixel Camera Phone

The well-known South Korean multinational corporation, LG Electronics has officially announced the availability of its new LG Renoir (LG-KC910). It’s the full touchscreen 8 megapixel camera phone which LG claims as the first handset created for the worldwide market to include Dolby Mobile, aiming to deliver full multimedia experience that stimulates the senses.

“Renoir is much more than a camera phone. It truly puts everything at your fingertips and provides a multi-sensorial experience through sight, sound and touch," said Dr. Skott Ahn, President and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company. “The 8 megapixel camera is only one aspect of the phone. Its unique combination of features, including a full touchscreen interface, Dolby Mobile for Music and built in support for Wi-Fi and A-GPS, allow Renoir to be used in equally unique ways."

Impressive Features Of LG Renoir (LG KC910):

* Dolby Mobile audio processing technologies from Dolby Laboratories brings depth and richness as well as clean, powerful bass to deliver a more immersing and engaging listening experience for music
* High-resolution 8-megapixel camera with Schneider-Kreuznach certified optics, Xenon flash, auto and manual focus, sensitivity up to ISO 1600 as well as Touch Shot feature, which allows photographers to focus on any object by touching it on screen
* A-GPS enabled navigation and embedded GPS receiver for geo-tagging
* 3-inch WQVGA full touchscreen LCD screen
* Onscreen QWERTY keyboard
* Compatibility with latest 3G HSDPA networks and Wi-Fi

The new slim LG Renoir 8 megapixel camera phone which measures just 13.95mm thin and weighs only 110 grams is expected to hit European market by this month, followed by Asia, Latin America and CIS in coming November, but the price has yet to be announced.

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Asus Offically Launched Worlds Faster PDA Business Phone - ASUS P565

Asus has officially launched its new business PDA Phone, ASUS P565 that boasts an 800 MHz processor and claimed as the fastest business PDA phone in the world, posting Vsbenchmark scores almost two times of completing products in its class. It features Asus latest touch-driven user interface Glide. The stylish, leather-accented P565 is running on Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional.To suite the business need, it comes with useful business application such as Push Email, Windows Live, MSN, Voice Commander and Microsoft Office Mobile and other useful application including Anytime Launcher, ASUS Today, ExiMusic, EZiPhoto, Business Card Recognition and PDF Viewer.

The Specification of ASUS P565 as below:

* Operating System: Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional.
* Networks: HSDPA 3.6Mbps, UMTS 2100, EDGE/GPRS/GSM 900/1800/1900, Class 10.
* Display: 2.8″ TFT, 65K-color Touchscreen, VGA (480 x 640 pixels).
* Processor: Marvell TavorP 800 MHz.
* Memory: 256 MB Flash + 128 MB DDR SDRAM, microSDHC card slot.
* Connectivity: WLAN 802.11b+g , USB v1.1(FS), Bluetooth 2.0+EDR.
* Video Recording/Playback: MPEG4 (QVGA) 24fps recording/MPEG4 video at QVGA 30fps (or H.263 at QCIF 30fps) playback.
* Cameras: 3MP with Auto Focus (Main)/300 K Pixel for Video Telephony (sub).
* WAP Browser: HTTP / WAP 1.2.1/2.0.
* Standby Time: 250-300 hrs with 3G (around 200-250 hrs with 2G).
* Talk Time: 3 hrs with 3G (around 4 hrs with 2G).
* Dimensions: 102 mm x 60.5 mm x 16 mm.
* Weight: 120 g (with battery).

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Sony's Latest Laptop, Specially made laptop for women's

The main impact of technology on business, consumer buying cycle starts with a focus on women. Volvo, car design in mind, especially women, and women of all design team, in my wallet and a place to store a laptop, and better visibility on the type of climate have been reemployed in the car.

Audi TT Roadster based on the purchase day, I Audi's innovative development of the concept, I was drawn to me. Audi, the emblem was a good job in terms of rivets reflect the cycle, as well as integrated into the design of the car dashboard, may have little control.

Recently, a new Sony (NYSE: NAB) is another shop in Palo Alto in all rooms at home go to the opening of the latest news, I am all for clean design, integration includes an interesting layout ate impressed.


How can we have her husband's house, I have a big plasma TV, Vaio notebook computers, saw the most sexy - x505, discreet and stylish black matt silver mirror, a small bio-I is complete, the cover logo on the life of the battery 4 touch time, and start with sense of nickel and carbon tubes, the return of a small battery provides.

Procurement of all, the space between the core of the keyboard layout, albeit a small one for young women is very easy to work correctly, you should. 1,8 - pound weight and simply lists a large bag is ideal for Notes from the trip. I am to them, as well as the duty of a beautiful pair of shoes, and I felt the same way.

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Watch Video Via iPod

The iPod is already pretty versatile from audio books to recipes and photos; you can now watch movies and television shows. And of course, you can purchase and download them through iTunes! The 80 GB iPod is capable of holding 20,000 songs, 25,000 photos and now 100 hours of video or any combination thereof. Even television shows and iPod games can also be synchronized when you plug into iTunes.
Watching television and movies will drain your battery power, but you will get six hours of watching time on your iPod. Your regular laptop computer with a DVD drive might be lucky to get through the whole movie, but chances are your battery is going to die at the end of the movie. Video iPod will allow you to watch movies and TV shows while on the go and not have to worry about your iPod dying on you. The battery power makes the iPod great for flying, car rides or just sitting around bored at the office.

The new iPod interface makes finding a song out of 20,000 or a movie out of 100 hours easy. Synchronizing your video and television is easy through iTunes and you can always have the latest episodes or the newest movies. Search by name or genre and your iPod will bring the files to you.

The USB Power Adapter is handy and gives you the flexibility of charging your iPod when you're not connected to a computer. This is great if you are in a restaurant or airport and need to plug in for a little while and get some juice for your trip.

RoadTrip makes car rides easy as well. Say you are driving for twelve hours and your iPod is only going to last half of that time while you are watching movies and television shows. Combine your iPod with the RoadTrip and you can charge, listen to FM radio and your music. Everyone will love being able to watch movies and television shows while traveling by air or ground. RoadTrip works with all docking iPods except the 1st and 2nd generations.

The iPod Video Shield is also great for your video iPod. The shield is practically invisible and it will keep your screen clean without adding bulk to your iPod. It snaps on and off easily and allows all of your connectors to remain in place. This is really helpful if you are traveling with your iPod and to

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Global Security: The Sky's Unblinking Eyes

The emergence of high-powered satellite imagery changed national security and military intelligence. Once that sort of technology became available to the masses through the likes of Google Earth, the game was changed again. As the industry's biggest firms get set to launch even more powerful satellites, governments cope with a world where almost anyone can get a bird's-eye view.
The secretive National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is rushing to get the latest, high-definition satellite photos of Afghanistan into the hands of U.S. ground troops as they ramp up operations in the country's tangled terrain.

The NGA analysts aren't tapping the government's huge network of highly classified spy satellites; they're getting the pictures from commercial vendors. That's the same stuff pretty much anyone can get, either through free, online programs such as Google Earth, or by buying it from the same companies supplying Uncle Sam.

It's a remarkable turn, given the warnings that security experts in the USA and worldwide raised a few years ago about giving the entire planet -- terrorists and rogue states included -- access to high-resolution satellite photos once available only to superpowers.

Last month, the most powerful commercial satellite in history sent its first pictures back to Earth, and another with similar capabilities is set for launch in mid-2009. The imagery provided by those and other commercial satellites has transformed global security in fundamental ways, forcing even the most powerful nations to hide facilities and activities that are visible not only to rival nations, but even to their own citizens.

How Much Better?

Although no one disputes that commercial imagery poses threats, it has been embraced in ways few predicted.

"It's created a lot of opportunities to do things we couldn't do with [classified] imagery," says Jack Hild, a deputy director at NGA, which provides imagery and mapping for defense and homeland security operations.

Pictures from government satellites are better than commercial photos, but how much better is a secret. Only people with security clearances generally are allowed to see them. Using commercial products, intelligence agencies can provide imagery for combat troops, which wasn't possible before because of the risk of it reaching enemy hands and even international coalition partners.

Federal agencies use commercial imagery to guide emergency response and inform the public during natural disasters such as this year's Hurricane Ike. It's also used by government scientists to monitor glacial melting and drought effects in the Farm Belt.

When commercial satellite photos first hit the market, "the gut reaction was, 'We can't allow this imagery to be out there because someone might do us harm with it,'" Hild says. "Are there still bad things that people can do with commercial imagery? Absolutely ... but we think the benefits far outweigh the risks."

Other nations share the sentiment. U.S. and foreign government contracts provide critical income for commercial imagery companies, such as Digital Globe and GeoEye -- both of which supply photos for Google Earth.

"Most of our revenue [is] from governments," says Mark Brender, vice president of GeoEye, which got half its 2007 revenue from the U.S. government and 35 percent from foreign governments. "They have a core competency in understanding how to use this technology -- and a national security imperative to do so."

Mapping Out an Attack

In August 2006, the Islamic Army in Iraq circulated an instructional video on how to aim rockets at U.S. military sites using Google Earth.

Posted on a jihadist Web site, the video showed a computer using the program to zoom in for close-up views of buildings at Iraq's Rasheed Airport, according to an unclassified U.S. intelligence report obtained by USA Today. The segment ended with the caption, "Islamic Army in Iraq/The Military Engineering Unit -- Preparations for Rocket Attack."

The video appeared to fulfill the dire predictions raised by security experts in the USA and across the globe when Google began offering free Internet access to worldwide satellite imagery in 2005. Officials in countries as diverse as Australia, India, Israel and the Netherlands complained publicly that it would be a boon to terrorists and hostile states, especially since the pictures often provide a site's map coordinates.

Indeed, some terrorist attacks have been planned with the help of Google Earth, including an event in 2006 in which terrorists used car bombs in an unsuccessful effort to destroy oil facilities in Yemen, according to Yemeni press reports. Images from Google Earth and other commercial sources have been found in safe houses used by al-Qaeda and other terror groups, according to the Pentagon.

Many security experts say commercial imagery does little to enhance the capabilities of such organizations.

"You can get the same [scouting] information just by walking around" with a map and a GPS Latest News about global positioning system device, says John Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org, a research organization specializing in defense and intelligence policy. The imagery "may give someone precise coordinates [for a target], but they need precise weapons ... and their ability to target discrete parts of a particular site is pretty limited. People who think this gives you magical powers watch too many Tom Clancy movies."

Some Safeguards

Nonetheless, the world's governments have taken a variety of steps in response to the emergence of Google Earth and other commercial imagery sources, according to a confidential report issued in July by the CIA's Open Source Center and made public by the Federation of American Scientists. Among them:

* Negotiation. Some nations have asked Google and other companies to keep certain images off the market, the report says. For example, Google Earth uses older imagery of parts of Iraq based on British concerns about exposing military sites. Commercial satellite companies often blur images of sensitive U.S. sites, such as the Pentagon.

* Bans. China has barred Web sites selling "unapproved" commercial imagery, according to the report, and Sudan has banned Google Earth. In 2006, Bahrain officials banned Google Earth, but the CIA report notes that the move may have been mainly to "prevent exposure of elaborate residences and land holdings of the country's rich."

* Buying in. Several countries, such as China and Thailand, are getting into the satellite imagery business themselves, and India sells its spy photos commercially, the report says. Many countries that lack their own satellite capability have become enthusiastic purchasers of commercial imagery to meet intelligence and security needs.

* Evasion. Many countries have stepped up efforts to conceal sensitive facilities, either by putting them underground or camouflaging them, the report says. Others, such as India, have improved their ability to discern when satellites pass overhead, which allows them to conduct sensitive military activities when cameras aren't watching.

"We actively engage with organizations and governments ... to strike a balance between their security concerns and the needs of the end user," says Chikai Ohazama, Google Earth's product management director. Sensitive sites often are obscured by satellite operators before Google even gets the imagery, he adds. It often doesn't matter "because the imagery already is available from other places."

Newer Satellites

The number of sources for satellite imagery continues to grow, fueled not only by government customers in the USA and worldwide, but by an explosion in public usage.

This month, GeoEye launched the most advanced commercial satellite yet -- able to distinguish home plate on a baseball field -- and the NGA paid half the US$475 million cost. Digital Globe will launch a satellite with similar resolution and other new capabilities next year on its own dime.

The use of commercial imagery relieves some of the burden on the U.S. government's classified satellite network, says Rick Oborn, spokesperson at the National Reconnaissance Office, which runs the system.

"We're oversubscribed," Oborn says, noting that intelligence and security missions get priority and often need the higher resolution and quicker returns offered by the government's own satellites. "Anytime the broader area stuff can be taken commercially, so much the better."

The appetite for commercial imagery from the general public continues to grow as more people realize the technology has uses far beyond picking out your home on Google Earth.

Nongovernmental organizations have used commercial imagery to show devastating attacks on villages in Darfur by the Janjaweed militia. Security experts have used it to show development of new missile bases in North Korea. Environmentalists have used it to document effects of global warming.

"In a way, those sort of things also have a lot to do with national security," says Steven Aftergood, an intelligence expert at the Federation of American Scientists. "It's an extraordinary tool [for] bringing transparency to government. ... And it's here to stay."

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Obama is Winning the Internet War

Election Day in the U.S. is fast approaching and it's anyone's guess who will win. However, is this really true? Based on five key indicators on the Internet, maybe we already know who will next be sitting in the Oval Office.

1. Site Traffic Winner: Obama
Barack Obama's site receives 5.5 million unique visitors, while John McCain's site receives 3.1 million, according to Compete data. While McCain has gained slightly in recent months, he hasn't made up much ground on Obama's 44 percent lead in this key metric. Alexa, another tracking tool, shows the same trend.

Business Nugget: Businesses should constantly monitor tools like Compete, Alexa, Hitwise, Nielsen, comScore, and the like to benchmark where they stand in relation to competition. Many of these tools have free and premium offerings.


2. Social Media Winner: Obama

McCain has garnered the support of 572,009 "fans" on Facebook, which is among the highest on the site. However, it pales in comparison to Obama's 2,071,473 fans. Obama's lead is even larger than this indicates because these numbers don't add in separate fan pages for Joe Biden, Michelle Obama, Students for Obama, Women for Obama, etc.

It's interesting that there aren't too many ancillary support pages like these for McCain. For example, Michelle Obama has 127,000 fans, while Cindy McCain has 758 fans. It's also intriguing that searches for Sarah Palin funnel to the McCain-Palin page, whereas Biden has his own distinct fan page. Unfortunately for the McCain ticket, their largest ancillary group is the rogue "I Have More Foreign Policy Experience than Sarah Palin," with 220,000 participants.

The "friend" divide is just as prevalent on MySpace with Obama having 697,535 friends to McCain's 169,326. McCain gets some help from Palin on MySpace where she has 81,988 friends on her profile to Biden's 27,652.

Business Nugget: As has been pointed out in this column for quite some time now, Facebook is dominating MySpace (in this instance by volume of fans/friends). Also of interest for businesses are the different strategies that must be decided upon in social media. If I'm Coke, do I funnel everyone to one fan page (i.e., McCain) or do I send those interested in the various brands (Diet Coke, Coke Classic) to unique fan pages (i.e., Obama).



3. Paid Search Winner: McCain

Republicans have been savvier on paid search throughout the election year. The most glaring example of this is if you type in the keyword "Presidential Election." Two listings come up for McCain in the sponsored listings, whereas Obama has zero.

The same holds true for the search term "vote." Shockingly, though, both parties fail to have a listing for the key phrase "register to vote."

Business Nugget: Paid search is mission critical to most businesses these days. However, many fail to do one basic thing: constantly manually check major key term results. With all the sophistication in paid search, businesses often get mired down in the details and miss major problems on the most important search terms.

4. Organic Search Winner: Tie

Of the five Internet items we selected to view, this one is the most intriguing. Let's use Google Insights to see what the public was searching on more: "McCain" or "Obama."

Over the last year for every search on "McCain," there have been 2.2 searches for "Obama." This ratio remains relatively constant if you only look at the last 90 and 30 days of data as well.

However, when you throw Palin into the mix, Palin searches way outperform McCain searches, and actually even outperform those of Obama. Hence, when you combine Palin and McCain, there are actually more searches than if you combine Obama and Biden.

This holds relatively true as you look at the battleground states of Ohio and Florida. In Florida on an indexed scale over the last 30 days, the searches broke down as follows: Palin (73), Obama (61), McCain (38), Biden (10). Part of that could be from people searching for videos of Tina Fey spoofing Palin on "Saturday Night Live." The national intrigue in Palin is something we've never seen and is difficult to account for.

Compete data shows that two of the top five search terms driving traffic to McCain's site include "Palin," whereas "Biden" doesn't show up in the top five search terms driving traffic to Obama's site.



Because of Palin's recent effect, call this one a tie instead of an Obama win, even though "Obama" has more than twice the amount of searches than "McCain."

Business Nugget: Smart corporations use Google Insights to help predict where their business may be going and what their users are interested it. Super smart corporations go one step further and drill down into geographic nuances.

5. YouTube Winner: Obama

The Barack Obama YouTube channel has 100,000 subscribers and the videos have been viewed 17.1 million times. The John McCain YouTube channel has 24,000 subscribers and has been viewed 11.1 million times. These numbers speak for themselves.

Business Nugget: Every business should have a dedicated brand channel on YouTube. Marketing departments should also keep an eye on what corporate and competitive videos are out there. YouTube Insights shows the number of views a video has on sites outside of YouTube (embedded) and identifies what parts of the video people don't find interesting. Also, we decided to call-out YouTube as it's own item, but it could have been rolled into social media.

These five Internet items are interesting to look at in an election context since the same methods of research and strategy can and should be used to build your company's brand.

Overall Internet Winner: Obama. But will it be enough to win the election?

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Common Problems with 404 Error Pages

SEO covers many aspects of a Web site, and recommendations can usually be grouped into one of three buckets: technical, content, or linking. It may surprise you to learn that the way a Web site handles 404 error pages can affect search engine rankings. Although some would argue how much negative weighting is placed on sites with inconsistent or custom 404 error pages.

In recent weeks, I've seen several mishandled 404s, but one theme seems to return "200 OK" codes to search engine crawlers for 404 pages. The sites doing this are pretty significant sites we've looked to engage from an SEO perspective.

In a couple cases through our monitoring of Webmaster Tools, we've even discovered client sites with this issue. The last thing you need in the Google index is an error page. But even worse are multiple URLs that were mistyped being returned as "OK."

In a couple cases through our monitoring of Webmaster Tools, we've even discovered client sites with this issue. The last thing you need in the Google index is an error page. But even worse are multiple URLs that were mistyped being returned as "OK."

Another interesting trend I've seen is dynamically generated 301 or 302 redirects that send users to either the home page or a custom error page when someone mistypes the URL from a domain into the browser. For example, if I typed www.searchenginewatch.com/doesnotexist, I'm led to a nice custom 404 error page that offers users a number of choices to find the right page. The key is to understand exactly what kind of response code it returned to the server.

In order to check response codes, I like to use the SEOconsultants.com tool. If I place the mistyped URL above into the box at this page, I get a detailed list of how the page is seen from a crawler's perspective. The call to the server generates a 301 redirect to the custom 404 page described above, but most important, it returns a "Server Response" of 404 not found.

Because the user is led to a page with more information, they will likely be happy and continue to navigate in order to find what they want. The key is that by the server response code being a 404, the URL won't be indexed in the search engines and will simply "disappear."

Now if the response code was "200 OK," which is a mistake developers sometimes make, a new URL could be indexed (/doesnotexist) with possible duplicate content. The home page is often used to redirect people in the event of a dead or non-existent page.

From a user experience standpoint, it's arguable if that's the right choice or if the user should be sent to an error page. I'm sure you can find many people on both sides of that fence. From an SEO perspective, you can end up with duplicate versions of your home page in the search engine indexes, but with bogus URLs.

Tips on 404 Best Practices

Mark Jackson gave us a nice round up of various problems with hosting issues earlier this month.

I also asked Craig Geis, our SEO technical lead who also maintains the SEO Tech Blog, to provide some insights on how improperly handled 404s can be negative from an SEO perspective. He has looked deeply into this issue, and provides some general best practices to follow when deciding how to handle pages that can't be found.

These aren't the only ways to deal with this problem. However, from an SEO perspective it would be wise for developers/designers of many large Web sites to heed Geis's advice:

Without a custom 404 error page, the visitor -- human or robot -- is left with only two courses of action: to abandon their search or click the back button. Search engines can reduce rankings due to server errors and broken pages. Simple errors such as "404 page not found" in large quantities can make the search engines believe that a site isn't complete or is under construction and, as a result, they may determine that the site isn't worthy of strong search engine rankings.

When a nonexistent page is requested from the server, the server should respond with a special "HTTP Status" header value of "404 Not Found," which may also be followed by custom error-page body content. Incorrectly configured Web-servers that respond with a status header value of "200" (or any other erroneous value) are exposed to significant risk with respect to search engines' "duplicate content penalties." This is because the identical content (in this case, the error page content) would be available under a potentially infinite number of URLs.

Custom 404 pages serve several important purposes. First, they return the correct code to the users and to search engine spiders, informing the visitors that the page they were seeking wasn't found. Second, custom 404 pages present visitors with options about what to do next. Without a custom 404 error page, the visitor -- human or robot -- is left with only two courses of action: to abandon their search or click the back button. Neither of these are a satisfactory response to an error.

Geis provides specific recommendations to several clients on this issue. So, if you have this problem with your sites, don't feel like you're alone. Take care of it because it could potentially be damaging in the long term from a user experience and SEO perspective.

Frank Watson Fires Back

Having just spent the last few days in Munich at SEOktoberfest, I've learned some serious black hat methodology -- and ways that you can screw with your competitors. Your site's responses to mistyped pages or to pages that no longer exist should have direction.

Creating sole response pages may be fair, but you really should be more exact in the direction. A 404 should be a redirect to appropriate content, or an "I Give Up" page.

The major corporations are a different story. They screw up the pages, but have things in place to deal with mistakes -- not right out of the gate, but close enough to mark when things need to be changed. It is realistically also true that most places do little to recognize what's going on.

SEOktoberfest was an awesome event. If you missed it, start making comments on the forum so others can be alerted to a topic. Rock on Aussies!

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Untangling Web Information

The Semantic Web organizer Twine offers bookmarking with built-in AI.

The next big stage in the evolution of the Internet, according to many experts and luminaries, will be the advent of the Semantic Web--that is, technologies that let computers process the meaning of Web pages instead of simply downloading or serving them up blindly. Microsoft's acquisition of the semantic search engine Powerset earlier this year shows faith in this vision. But thus far, little Semantic Web technology has been available to the general public. That's why many eyes will be on Twine, a Web organizer based on semantic technology that launches publicly today.


Developed by Radar Networks, based in San Francisco, Twine is part bookmarking tool, part social network, and part recommendation engine, helping users collect, manage, and share online information related to any area of interest. For the novice, it can be tricky figuring out exactly where to start. But for experienced users, Twine can be a powerful way to research a subject collaboratively or find people with common interests, with the usual features of a bookmarking site augmented by Twine's underlying semantic technology.

After creating an account, a user adds a Twine bookmarklet to her browser's bookmarks, then adds items to her Twine page by clicking the bookmarklet as she surfs the Web. Bookmarks, too, can easily be imported from a browser or from another Web bookmarking service.

Twine uses artificial intelligence--machine learning and natural language processing--to parse the contents of Web pages and extract key concepts, such as people, places, and organizations, from the pages that a user saves. The site then uses these concepts to link information and users. For example, creating a twine--a bundle of bookmarks related to a particular topic--devoted to a specialized technique in computer game design quickly led to the discovery of twines (created by other users) devoted to other areas of game design and to twines devoted to a popular game that uses the technique. It also led to other users interested in the subject. Twine is also meant to automatically generate tags, descriptions, and summaries of bookmarked Web pages. In the preview, or beta, version, this feature didn't always work properly, but Nova Spivack, CEO of Radar Networks, says that the functionality has been improved ahead of the public launch. Twines offer a hub for collecting, sharing, and discussing information. For example, users have created twines devoted to twentieth-century music, science and technology, philosophy, and cool things found around the Web.

On the surface, Twine looks a lot like many other social-networking applications: users make connections, share, and discuss information, and the artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing built into the website is not immediately obvious. "The Semantic Web is a technology that's useful. It's a means to an end, not an end in itself," says Spivack. "What we're doing with this release and going forward is, we're talking about what you can use Twine for, and the fact that it's powered by the Semantic Web is a detail for geeks."

But Jim Hendler, a professor of computer science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a member of Twine's advisory board, says that Semantic Web technologies can set Twine apart from other social-networking sites. This could be true, so long as users learn to take advantage of those technologies by paying attention to recommendations and following the threads that Twine offers them. Users could easily miss this, however, by simply throwing bookmarks into Twine without getting involved in public twines or connecting to other users.

It would be nice to be able to use Twine for a few more specialized purposes. For example, it seems ideal for finding events related to areas of interest--indie rock bands playing in Boston, for example. But the current interface deals awkwardly with dates. A Twine calendar, which categorizes events intelligently, would be a logical extension of the service. Spivack says that such a feature, as well as further developments, are on the way. As these arrive, and as the company adds more ways to classify data, the real value of the Semantic Web could well start to surface.

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Searching for the Mobile Web

Industry leaders hope that new technologies will make mobile search more usable.
Search technology has transformed the way that people use the Internet and has made piles of money for giants like Google. This week at Mobile Internet World 2008, in Boston, industry leaders gathered to talk about emerging technologies that might at last bring useful Internet search to mobile devices too.


In many developed countries, official figures show that there are more phones than people. But even as companies rush to take advantage of these increasingly powerful and ubiquitous devices, experts acknowledge that using the Internet on mobile devices remains forbiddingly difficult on many handsets. The untapped potential of mobile search, in particular, was a major theme at the Boston event.

Some say that the problem is the mobile interface. "I think the numbers really show that if you do give a better experience, you'll see that come through on the usage side," says Hadley Harris, director of business development and finance at Vlingo, a startup based in Cambridge, MA, that offers voice-recognition software for cell phones. Harris notes that the superior Web browser on the iPhone has already had such an impact: on average, iPhone users perform 50 times more Web searches than do people using any other smart-phone device.

To get more people to search with their phone, DeWayne Nelon, CEO of Avot Media, a startup based in Sunnyvale, CA, that offers mobile video technology, says that it is important to appreciate how people use these devices. "We tend, as an industry, to treat the mobile device as a small laptop, and it's not a small laptop," Nelon says. Whereas people sitting in front of a desktop or laptop computer will often spend long periods browsing the Internet, he notes that people armed with a mobile device will most likely be looking for a quick answer to a specific question. Above all else, he says, mobile search should be fast and simple to use.

Inputting a search query can be time consuming using a cell-phone keyboard, Nelon says, so speech recognition should be explored as a way to search the Web. Other phone features could aid with searching, he says. For example, cell-phone cameras could perhaps make image-based search effective. But Nelon adds that the mobile platform also offers new possibilities. For instance, he says that mobile search should take advantage of the navigation capabilities that are now built into many mobile devices.

Harris believes that Semantic Web technologies (which allow machines to process the meaning of information on the Web) could also streamline mobile search in the future. "As the Semantic Web builds up, [the software will] answer specific questions and pay attention to what the user is trying to do on the device," he says.

But making cell phones smarter and more intuitive will require more processing power. Anand Chandrasekher, senior vice president and general manager of the ultra-mobility group at Intel, demonstrated the company's latest low-power cell-phone chip--the Atom--at the conference. During a demonstration, Gunnar Evermann of speech-recognition company Nuance showed the company's software running on a mobile device. He used composed and sent an e-mail employing only his voice.

Although many startups are working on improving interfaces and mobile services for search, experts warn that it could be hard to dislodge the giants. "People are looking for known brands on mobile devices," says Christian Seider of IBM's Institute for Business Value in the Electronics Industry. He thinks that many users will want to access the same Internet services that they get through their PC, so it could be hard--particularly for young companies--to find ways to make money off their technology.

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Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2

Microsoft released on Aug. 27 a second test version of Internet Explorer 8, delivering a feature-complete upgrade to the world's most widely used Web browser. The world's largest software maker said the latest version -- beta 2 -- of Internet Explorer, which has a market share of about 75 percent, comes with new features to enhance privacy, ease-of-use, and security. Microsoft first released a test -- or beta 1 -- version of IE 8 in March, but that was aimed at letting Web developers take a first look at the new browser. This latest version is aimed at a broader consumer audience.

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp released on Wednesday a second test version of Internet Explorer 8, delivering a feature-complete upgrade to the world's most widely used Web browser.

The world's largest software maker said the latest version -- beta 2 -- of Internet Explorer, which has a market share of about 75 percent, comes with new features to enhance privacy, ease-of-use, and security.

Microsoft first released a test -- or beta 1 -- version of IE 8 in March, but that was aimed at letting Web developers take a first look at the new browser. This latest version is aimed at a broader consumer audience.

Click here to read Jim Rapoza's Review: IE8's Private Progress

The company would not disclose when it planned to officially launch IE 8 nor how many people are expected to download the test version of the new browser. It released Internet Explorer 7 in October 2006.

Microsoft has pledged to deliver more regular updates of Internet Explorer, whose lead has been chipped away by Mozilla's Firefox browser.

The latest version of Internet Explorer replicates features found in Firefox 3, the latest version of that Web browser, including a "smart" address bar that remembers and redirects user to website addresses they have visited before.

Internet Explorer 8 also offers a mode called "InPrivate Browsing," which ensures that history, temporary Internet files and cookies are not recorded on a user's PC.

There is also a security feature that allows a user to block content coming from third-parties trying to track and aggregate the user's online behavior.

Microsoft also updated already announced features such as "Activities," which allows a user to use information found on one page, such as an address, in conjunction with an online service such as mapping without leaving the original site.

The latest test release of Internet Explorer 8 is available for download at www.microsoft.com/ie8.

(Reporting by Daisuke Wakabayashi; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)

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Google Earth and Google Maps to Receive Hi-Resolution Images From GeoEye-1 Satellite

Google Earth and Google Maps will be getting imagery from GeoEye's new $502 million high-resolution GeoEye-1 satellite once the spacecraft is launched Sept. 4. GeoEye spokesman Mark Brender said the Google logo was on the first stage of the Delta II rocket that will launch the new satellite, which will provide the highest resolution commercial color imagery available on the market.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - GeoEye Inc on Thursday said it will provide imagery from its new $502 million high-resolution GeoEye-1 satellite to Google Earth and Google Maps after the spacecraft is launched on Sept. 4.

GeoEye spokesman Mark Brender said the Google logo was on the first stage of the Delta II rocket that will launch the new satellite, which will provide the highest resolution commercial color imagery available on the market.

"Google is interested in collecting the highest quality satellite imagery available and as a symbol of this commitment has agreed to put the company logo on the first stage of our launch vehicle," Brender said.

He said Google did not have any direct or indirect financial interest in the satellite or in GeoEye, nor did it pay to have its logo emblazoned on the rocket.

If all goes well with the launch, GeoEye's new satellite will be the world's highest resolution commercial earth-imaging satellite, offering images at .41 meters resolution in black and white and 1.65 meters in color.

Under current government rules, the company can only offer the public half-meter images.

Google spokeswoman Kate Hurowitz said Google would begin receiving half-meter resolution imagery from the new satellite after 45 to 60 days, during which the company will make sure all the satellite's systems are up and running.

"The combination of GeoEye's high-resolution, map-accurate satellite imagery from GeoEye-1 and Google's search and display capabilities provides users with access to rich, interactive visual image maps of the Earth," Hurowitz said. She gave no details on the financial terms of the agreement.

Google already uses imagery collected by another high-resolution GeoEye satellite, IKONOS, as well as imagery from other sources, including GeoEye's main rival, Digital Globe, which plans an initial public offering this year.

DigitalGlobe launched its new high-resolution satellite, WorldView-1, in late 2007, which offers half-meter resolution and can collect up to 750,000 square kilometers (290,000 square miles) of imagery each day, albeit only in black and white.

Google will continue to use imagery from other providers, but GeoEye will provide its imagery exclusively to Google, not any other on-line mapping Web sites, Brender said.

GeoEye, which went public in September 2006, has expanded dramatically over the past five years, quadrupling its work force and reporting large revenue and profit increases.

Its shares were hammered in recent months on news of a delay in the launch of the new satellite, which was originally planned in April, and given a slump in orders from the Pentagon's National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

But GeoEye Chief Executive Matthew O'Connell said the launch of GeoEye-1 should help spur U.S. government orders and buoy the company's shares. He predicted strong growth over the next five years, bolstered by growing commercial, global and government demand for satellite imagery.

GeoEye's shares closed 2.4 percent higher at $23.18 on Thursday, up sharply from a low of $16.05 in May, but still well below a 52-week high of $37.37 in January.

(By Andrea Shalal-Esa, Editing by Gary Hill)

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