Anti-Net Neutrality Resolution is Defeated!

From: http://www.aclu.org/blog/technology-and-liberty/it-was-close-we-won-viva-net-neutrality

Today marked a great day for the Internet and Freedom of Speech in the United States as the Senate's resolution to strike down the FCC's Open Internet Rules was defeated.  In case you are unaware, the FCC's rules are intended to protect net neutrality which in real world basic terms means that Internet Service Provider's (ISPs) cannot charge more for certain kinds of Internet traffic.  For example, ISPs could charge more for video streaming or give preference to certain websites/businesses that pay more.  It would be akin to the electric company being able to charge more for the electricity of your TV than the electricity for your electric shaver - not based on the amount of electricity used, but the actual use itself.

The Internet's greatest asset is its freedom of information flow and also an equal opportunity for individuals, organizations, and business in competing for our attention.  If ISP's were to get their way, they could, for example. allow Amazon.com's network traffic to be delivered to your computer in an instant while restricting Joe Small Seller's website from even showing up or showing up very slowly because he couldn't afford the additional fee to your ISP.  The cost could also have been put back on us.  If you want to watch video streaming, that is an additional $20/month.  Can you see the cable companies doing this?  The very same ones that deliver our cable tv and Internet?  I sure can.  The really scary part about not having net-neutrality is that it gives ISPs the power to restrict free speech on the Internet.

The vote came down pretty much to party lines with Republicans being for it and Democrats being against it.  The Republican's perspective is that without the restrictions of the FCC's rules, the market and ISPs will be free to adapt their services to better serve their customers and advance their technology, which is a noble intention and a vote on their principals of a free and unrestricted market which I understand.  In practice, however, there is a severe lack of competition in the space and the opposite will likely happen.  To not have net neutrality would mean much higher prices and a slow-down in the progression of services because there would be little to no pressure for advancement.  Necessity is the mother of invention, right?  The best examples are in Europe where the government has required Cable Companies to license their services to many competing providers in every neighborhood which increases competition and brings prices down to as much as 1/5 what we pay here in the United States - where most people only have 1 or 2 cable providers to their homes.  Another great example is in the mobile phone space.  GigaOm.com recently published a list of the top 20 global mobile operators.  Verizon and AT&T are #'s 13 and 16 in number of connections but are numbers 3 and 4 in mobile revenue.  There are many factors that influence this, but I propose it is a lack of competition that is the driving force behind American mobile carrier higher revenues per user.  As a side note, this is also why the T-Mobile and AT&T merger should not happen.

But regardless, the resolution was defeated and it is a great day for the Internet in the United States!

Here is the chart from GigaOm.com

Motorola Mobility: Xoom, Atrix Both Duds, Pacific Crest Says - Eric Savitz - The Tech Trade - Forbes

Motorola Mobility: Xoom, Atrix Both Duds, Pacific Crest Says - Eric Savitz - The Tech Trade - Forbes

Pacific Crest analyst James Faucette asserts that the Motorola Xoom is not being bought and is a dud.

Most of us tech geeks predicted this and here's why. Competition in the tablet space is a multi-pronged battle which is primarily fought on hardware, operating system, software, awareness / marketing, and price. Let's assume that the Xoom is superior in terms of hardware and operating system, that still leaves software, awareness / marketing, and price. Apple's iPad had approximately 65,000 more applications than the Xoom when the Xoom launched, so Apple had it handily beat there. In other words, there were 65,000 more things that could be done with the iPad than the Xoom. As far as customer awareness and marketing, Apple's iPad had a year's start as one of the hottest selling technical gadgets ever so the Xoom would have needed an astronomically broad marketing push to get even close to the public awareness of the iPad, which frankly likely could not have been bought so the Xoom was beat there.

For me, and millions of others, the hardware and operating system are not enough to make the Xoom a more attractive alternative than the iPad at the same price when there are so fewer things that can be done with the Xoom because of the lack of applications. When inside of an application, which is mostly what is done with a tablet, all that matters is the screen and the interaction with the application. The operating system is irrelevant and to a large degree, so is the hardware (number buttons, location of buttons, expansion ports, etc.). So that leaves price as the only realistic variable that the Xoom had at its disposal and Motorola priced the Xoom fairly similar to the iPad. As far as I can tell, Motorola wanted to present itself as the Ferrari of tablets in doing so, and tried to take the luxury brand from Apple. The problem is, there is nothing its owners can do with it when compared with the 65,000+ applications that the iPad had available. In the old Mac vs Windows days, people considered the Mac, but many, many, MANY times their purchasing decision came down to that one, two, or host of programs that just couldn't be run on a Mac and they pretty much had to choose a Windows machine. The iPad is now the Windows machine in this scenario and although potential buyers of the Xoom really like the hardware and Google's Android Honeycomb OS, they have to face the fact that it is a relative one trick pony to the iPad, and there is no guarantee that the applications will come for the Xoom/Android Gingerbread - at least not before their hardware is obsolete.

Non-Apple tablets are in the unenviable position of having to dig themselves out of a hole to complete with the iPad. I liken it to Japanese automakers coming to America for the first time. They competed on price and function and were laughable by some for a while. Over time they built up their brands and now Toyota is the largest automaker in the world and Honda is known for its ultra-reliable cars.

I think that Motorola and the other tablet makers believe(d) that Android's phone momentum would carry Android tablets into the stratosphere. But I think they have failed to recognize that much of Android's success is due to Apple's (greed) deciding to be available on only one carrier in the United States for the iPhone which opened the door to competition on the other carriers. The iPad has not had these restrictions, leaving Android tablets without a foothold, except on price. Compounding this limitation to Android is that Apple's iPad and iPhone are now available on Verizon's network, the largest network in the United States.

I am pulling for you Android, but you have to recognize what you are up against and battle it accordingly.

Anonymous vows payback for case against PS3 hacker - Yahoo! News

Anonymous vows payback for case against PS3 hacker - Yahoo! News

In case you didn't know it, Sony is suing its Sony Playstation customers. It also has requested the right to view personally identifiable information of who has visited a hackers website, presumably to go after them as well.

Sony says the hackers have circumvented their game copy protection and should be held accountable for the actions of all of their customers who have illegally copied Sony Playstation games. What the hackers have done is circumvented the software restrictions on the Sony Playstation 3 so that 3rd party software can be run on it. Has this enabled the pirating of games? As far as I can tell, yes. But to me that is like saying that Ford should be held accountable for every car that goes over 75Mph. Ford enables that ability, although there is no where in the US I am aware of where more than 75Mph is legal.

Sony should worry more about making better products for better prices. Console makers take a loss on the consoles and make up for it on the licensing fees for the software. If people are using the consoles to do something other than play games then they may not be licensing games and the console makers take a bigger net loss on the boxes. The whole piracy argument is not the full story, and may not be the main story.

I will not be buying another Sony product unless they drop this lawsuit. They made the choice to sell the boxes for under-market prices and should deal with the consequences. There are already laws against software piracy. Fight to have the existing laws enforced better instead, Sony.

Please choose to buy from someone other than Sony when presented with a choice. Their actions seem excessively greedy. They are suing someone for doing what they will with a device they bought and Sony are fighting to invade the privacy of unsuspecting people who visited the hackers website to learn about it. Let me reiterate that these people may not have pirated anything, yet Sony belives they are entited to know who these people are.

This is all my opinion.... so don't come and sue me too Sony - please. I do not own a Sony Playstation, definitely have not 'hacked' one, and do not have skin in this lawsuit. Except that I care that Sony is invading the privacy of the visitors of the hacker's website... and the hacker's privacy too... and hate to see the consumer's right to do whatever they want with the device they bought being trampled on.

Apple Thinks is Customers Are Technologically Ignorant

Apple just released a new commercial where they say AGAIN that the iPad is 'Magical'.

I have an iPad and enjoy it but this whole magical line is insulting. There was a line in the latest Superman movie where Lex Luthor says something like 'An technology that is sufficiently advanced will seem like magic.' To me, that is what Apple is saying when calling their products magic. 'Our customers are so technologically ignorant that our iPad is magical to them'.

The ad is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lpo__xhTSv8&feature=player_embedded#!

Of Course its For Android and not iPhone!

Of course it’s for Android and not iPhone. I don’t think the military will want to have to HOPE that Apple approves any military apps… All kidding aside, they really would have to have ‘illegally’ rooted iPhones to circumvent the iPhone app approval process, wouldn’t they?

in reference to: http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2010/03/04/war-theres-an-app-for-that-but-only-on-android-please/tab/comments/#comment-436198 (view on Google Sidewiki)

Not a fair comparison.

This 'Calculator' takes a very specific sub-set of criteria for business that benefits certain phones and waters down the differences between others. For example, I have tried every phone one this page and only Android phones have the business email and over the air Outlook synchronization capabilities that works for my small business. Also, although Blackberry web browsers are full HTML, their rendering is terrible and not on the same level as any of the others - not even close - but it is compared as equal here. Please should just move on and not consider this comparison. Instead, go out and try them. I think all vendors allow for 30 day trial periods.

in reference to: http://www.infoworld.com/mobile-calculator (view on Google Sidewiki)

Verizon Mimics Star Wars in its Latest Ad

Playing on the Lucasfilm licensed ‘Droid’ name,  Verizon Wireless has released a new commercial that mimics the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back.  In the beginning of the movie, probe ‘droids’ are dropped from the under-belly of a Star Destroyer.  The droids in the movie look very similar to the ones in the Verizon Droid commercial, drop-launch the same, fly they same, and crash-land the same.  The droids were in search of Luke and the rebels in the movie.  I guess Verizon is in search of buyers?

I initially thought the ad was over the top and a lost opportunity, but now I think it is fun.

Here is the video: