ALL INFORMATIONT

Herzliya Museum Pendet

noreply@blogger.com (rio) — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 23:16:00 -0800

Pendet Museum is one of the museum which is the cultural heritage of the community of Gianyar.Tabanan is not only famous for its natural attractions, but also very rich in its cultural aspects. This Museum is considered to reflect a sublime values associated with historically high. Inside there are various works of art collections of painting and sculpture which is the fruit of the work of great artists of Bali 's famous Wayan Pendet.

Wayan Pendet has produced approximately 80 works of sculpture and 29 pieces of painting. Wayan Pendet is known as the artist who bore the title as a sculptor and painter whose works are hand-picked much admired by others both artists as well as lay people though. Why does sculpture and painting? Because, according to him, between sculpture and painting have a relationship very closely, where objects painting Wayan Pendet is sculptures of his own results.

Pendet sculptures not only has the value of estika is high but also have characteristic in its so inviting smile for anyone who saw it as: statue of Cak which height about 2.5 m which depicts a crowd of dancers overlapping kecak motion with witty. There is also a statue of Garuda as high as 80 cm with dhewy turned and wing shape relaxed in contrast to other statues of Lions staring stiffly ahead.

Pendet Museum is divided into two rooms. In the first room there is a collection of the work of the eldest son of Wayan Pendet named Wayan Gunasta a painting or sketch-sketch nuanced humor, then second in the room there are statues and paintings by Wayan Pendet. The Museum was opened by notable painters Pendet Ida Bagus Made taanggal on April 14, 1999 and promulgated by the Regent of Gianyar Tjok Gede Budi Setiawan on December 22, 2002 and was officially called The Home and studio of the late artist Ida Bagus Made.
Bali
Pendet Museum in the village of Nyuh Kuning, Ubud, Gianyar Regency, the province of Bali – Indonesia.

Anobit Technologies

noreply@blogger.com (rio) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:03:00 -0700

General Information

Category	Semiconductor
Phone	972 9 9549560
Employees	200
Founded	2006
Description	Flash memory manufacturer

Funding

TOTAL	$72M
VENTURE FUNDING TOTAL	$72M
Series A, 8/07 ² Pitango Venture Capital Battery Ventures	$17M
Venture Round, 1/09 ³	$23M
Venture Round, 11/10 ⁴ Intel Capital	$32M

Anobit Technologies, Ltd., a fabless semiconductor company, develops solutions for the Flash memory market. Its technology optimizes Flash memory devices for storage solutions.
The company was founded in 2006 and is based in Pituach, Israel.

Milestones

Anobit Technologies added EDDIE O'CONNELL as OWNER.
Posted 12/13/11 at 1:16pm
Anobit Technologies added Ariel Maislos as Founder.
Posted 4/22/10 at 10:33pm
Anobit Technologies received $23M in Venture Round funding. (1/1/09)
Posted 12/13/11 at 12:53am
Anobit Technologies received $32M in Venture Round funding. (11/16/10)
Posted 11/17/10 at 5:46am via anobit.com
Anobit Technologies received $17M in Series A funding. (8/3/07)
Posted 2/18/10 at 1:56am via tmcnet.com
Anobit Technologies was acquired by Apple for $450M. (12/13/11)
Posted 12/13/11 at 12:23am via techcrunch.com

Screenshots

Above: Anobit Technologies Screenshot -- #1
Uploaded: 11/17/10

iPhone 3G

noreply@blogger.com (rio) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 19:59:00 -0700

General Information

Company	Apple
Website	apple.com/iphone
Launched	7/08

Announced at the 2008 World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC), the iPhone 3G is the successor to Apple’s wildly popular iPhone.

It’s faster, and much cheaper than its predecessor. Starting at $199 (with a two-year contract), you get an 8 gigabyte device with GPS that works on AT&Tâ€™s high-speed 3G network (as opposed to the slower EDGE network the original iPhone used). A 16 gigabyte version sells for $299. Apple claims the battery is supposed to support 300 hours of standby time, 5 to 6 hours of Web browsing, 7 hours of video, and 24 hours of audio. However, talk time is cut in half from 10 hours to 5 hours, when using the 3G network.
The iPhone 3G launched on July 11, 2008.

Milestones

iPhone 3G — iPhone Apps hit 8M downloads (3/17/09)
Posted 3/17/09 at 10:29am via techcrunch.com

Screenshots

Above: Tech Specs for the iPhone 3G
Uploaded: 6/10/08

Above: iPhone 3G Screenshot -- #2
Uploaded: 6/10/08

iPhone 3GS

noreply@blogger.com (rio) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 19:56:00 -0700

General Information

Company

Apple

The iPhone 3GS, announced at WWDC on June 8, 2009, is a faster iPhone featuring a 3.0 megapixel camera with autofocus, video recording capabilities with editing, and increased (3X) processing speed.
The 3GS is available in 16GB and 32GB, for $199 and $299, respectively.
Other new features include:

Digital Compass
Cut, Copy, and Paste
MMS (release delayed in the US)
WiFi tethering (release delayed in the US)
Voice Control
Landscape Keyboard
Spotlight Search
Voice Memos

iPad 2

noreply@blogger.com (rio) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 19:51:00 -0700

General Information

Company	Apple
Website	apple.com/ipad

The iPad 2 launched in March 2011. It is one third thinner than the original ipad, has a front and rear camera and is 2 x faster than the original with its 1GHZ Dual Core A5 Chip.

Milestones

iPad 2 — iPad 2 to be released with the same price as the first iPad. (3/11/11) ¹
Posted 3/3/11 at 3:58pm

Screenshots

Above: Crunchbase
Uploaded: 8/24/11

iPad 2012

noreply@blogger.com (rio) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 19:47:00 -0700

General Information

Company

Apple

The new iPad has four times more pixels than the iPad 2. As a result the colors are richer and text crisper than previous versions.

The camera on the new iPad is Apple’s 5-megapixel iSight camera. You can also record Video in 1080p HD.

Above: iPad 2012 Screenshot
Uploaded: 3/13/12

iCloud

noreply@blogger.com (rio) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 19:47:00 -0700

General Information

Company

Apple

iCloud is the effortless way to access just about everything on all your devices. iCloud stores your content so itâ€™s always accessible from your iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Mac, or PC.* It gives you instant access to your music, apps, latest photos, and more. And it keeps your email, contacts, and calendars up to date across all your devices. No syncing required. No management required.
When you sign up for iCloud, you automatically get 5GB of free storage. And thatâ€™s plenty of room, because of the way iCloud stores your content. Your purchased music, apps, and books, as well as your Photo Stream, donâ€™t count against your free storage. That leaves your mail, documents, Camera Roll, account information, settings, and other app data.

Milestones

iCloud — Apple: iCloud Now Has 85 Million Users (1/25/12) ¹
Posted 1/24/12 at 7:34pm via techcrunch.com

Screenshots

Above: iCloud Screenshot -- #1
Uploaded: 6/6/11

Safari

noreply@blogger.com (rio) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 19:46:00 -0700

General Information

Company

Apple

Safari is a web browser developed by Apple. First released as a public beta on January 7, 2003 on the company’s Mac OS X operating system, it became Apple’s default browser beginning with Mac OS X v10.3, commonly known as “OS X Panther.” Apple has also made Safari the native browser for the iPhone OS.

Milestones

Safari — Safari 4 Beta Released for OS X, Windows (2/24/09)
Posted 2/24/09 at 9:38am via techcrunch.com

Sources

Safari 4 Beta Released for OS X, Windows (techcrunch.com)

Ping

noreply@blogger.com (rio) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 19:43:00 -0700

General Information

Company	Apple
Launched	9/10

Ping is a social network for music - forming part of Apple’s iTunes software. Described by Steve Jobs as like â€œFacebook and Twitter meet iTunes… But itâ€™s not Facebook, itâ€™s not Twitter.â€

Milestones

Ping — Launch (9/1/10) ¹
Posted 9/25/10 at 1:10pm

Screenshots

Above: Ping Screenshot -- #1
Uploaded: 9/25/10

App Store

noreply@blogger.com (rio) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 19:40:00 -0700

General Information

Company	Apple
Stage	Live
Launched	7/08

The iTunes App Store allows iPhone users to download apps that take advantage of all the iPhone/iPod touch features. Users can either download the app through iTunes or directly from their cellphones.

Milestones

App Store — 3 billion app downloads (1/5/10) ¹
Posted 1/5/10 at 1:20pm via apple.com
App Store — 2 billion app downloads (9/28/09) ²
Posted 10/19/09 at 11:46pm via techcrunch.com
App Store — App store turns 1 (7/11/09) ³
Posted 8/6/09 at 9:44am
App Store — Apple iPhone App Downloads Cross 500 Million (1/16/09) ⁴
Posted 1/16/09 at 1:23pm via alleyinsider.com

Screenshots

Above: ,app store on iPhone,iTunes
Uploaded: 2/8/11

OS X Lion

noreply@blogger.com (rio) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 19:37:00 -0700

General Information

Company	Apple
Website	apple.com/macosx
Stage	Live
Launched	7/11

OS X Lion also known as OS X 10.7 is an operating system by Apple. One of the key features of the OS X Lion is the fully incorporated Mac App Store. Other new features are:
The Launchpad- A full screen view of all the apps that are on the Mac
Auto Save- Automatically saves all the work, preventing any lost work if a user forgets to save
AirDrop- Allows users to share files to anyone else with Airdrop within 30 feet just by dragging into AirDrop and it will transfer the encrypted file into the user’s download folder
Lion Server- Provides a step by step process to walk through users for the server configuration process

iTunes

noreply@blogger.com (rio) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 19:30:00 -0700

General Information

Company	Apple
Stage	Live

iTunes, Apple’s digital media player application, was introduced in January 2001. The application allows you to organize and play your digital music and podcast files.
iTunes is available as a free download for Mac OS X, Windows Vista and Windows XP.
iTunes is able to interface on the iPod digital media player and on Apple’s mobile device, the iPhone

Screenshots

Above: itunes version 9
Uploaded: 8/25/11

iWork

noreply@blogger.com (rio) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 19:27:00 -0700

General Information

Company	Apple
Website	apple.com/iwork
Stage	Live
Launched	2005

iWork is an office suite of desktop applications created by Apple for the Mac OS X operating system. The first version of iWork, iWork ‘05, was released in 2005. The suite originally bundled Keynote, a presentation program which had previously been sold as a standalone application, and Pages, a combined word processing and page layout application.
In 2007, Apple released iWork ‘08, which contained a new spreadsheet application, Numbers. iWork also includes access to iWork.com, a beta service that allows users to upload and share documents online with others, who can download them and give feedback. iWork integrates with existing applications from Apple’s iLife suite through the Media Browser, which allows users to drag and drop music from iTunes, movies from iMovie, and photos from iPhoto and Aperture directly into iWork documents.

OS X

noreply@blogger.com (rio) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 19:23:00 -0700

OS X

General Information

Company

Apple

OS X is Apple’s computer operating system, which is pre-loaded on all Apple computers.
Mac OS X is a Unix-based operating system, built on technology developed at NeXT between the second half of the 1980s and Apple’s purchase of the company in early 1996. It received UNIX 03 certification following its 10.5 version on Intel processors.
OS X v 1.0 was released in 1999, with a second, desktop-oriented version released in March 2001. The most recent version is OS X Lion.

Above: Snow Leopard Desktop
Uploaded: 1/20/10

Aperture 3

noreply@blogger.com (rio) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 19:19:00 -0700

General Information

Company	Apple
Website	apple.com/aperture
Stage	Live
Launched	2005

Aperture

Aperture is a software program for Mac OS X developed by Apple designed to assist professional photographers in post-production work.

iOS

noreply@blogger.com (rio) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 19:16:00 -0700

General Informatiot

Company	Apple
Website	apple.com/ios
Stage	Live
Launched	6/07

iOS

iOS is Apple’s operating system for their mobile devices. It debuted in 2007 with the release of the first iPhone, but has since been extended for use with the iPod touch, iPad, and Apple TV. iOS’ user interface relies on users’ direct manipulation of the product screen with multi-touch gestures, including swipes, pinches, taps, and reverse pinches.

Milestones

iOS — iOS 4 is released. (6/21/10) ¹
Posted 7/13/11 at 11:33am
iOS — The iPhone OS is rebranded as iOS. (6/1/10) ²
Posted 7/13/11 at 11:32am
iOS — iPhone OS debuts with the release of the iPhone. (6/29/07) ³
Posted 7/13/11 at 11:31am

U.S. Ends Chevy Volt Battery Fire Probe

noreply@blogger.com (rio) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 23:32:00 -0800

U.S. regulators, who ended their investigation yesterday into the Chevrolet Volt, said electric- powered vehicles do not pose a greater risk of fire than gasoline cars.
“Based on the available data, NHTSA does not believe that Chevy Volts or other electric vehicles pose a greater risk of fire than gasoline-powered vehicles,” the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in an e-mailed statement.
The conclusion by NHTSA came two weeks after General Motors Co. (GM) told Volt owners to bring the vehicles to dealerships for repair.
The government started investigating the Volt after a side- impact crash test in May led to a fire three weeks later. During that test, the lithium-ion battery pack broke open and coolant leaked into the battery. When the car was physically rotated as part of the test, more coolant leaked into a circuit board, leading to a fire. NHTSA replicated the fire in November and started an official probe Nov. 25.
“GM is proud of the technological innovation the Volt represents,” Greg Martin, a GM spokesman, said yesterday in an e-mailed statement. “We appreciate the confidence our Volt customers continued to provide during the investigation.”

Post-Crash Fire

The June fire occurred following a May 12 crash test at a facility in Wisconsin run by contractor MGA Research Inc., which notified the regulator that the blaze burned a line of cars parked near the Volt, NHTSA said yesterday in its report.
The agency and its investigators concluded in July that the fire originated in the Volt battery and performed another side- impact test on a Volt in September. That crash, which didn’t penetrate the battery compartment, didn’t lead to a fire. NHTSA, which tested Volt batteries in November with the Energy and Defense departments, hadn’t previously disclosed the September crash test.
The June Volt fire was reported Nov. 11 by Bloomberg.
The Volt blaze had little effect on sales of the vehicles, so there may not be any significant improvement with the government completing its investigation, said Jeremy Anwyl, vice chairman of auto-researcher Edmunds.com, in an e-mail.
“Volt buyers tend to be passionate about their vehicle,” Anwyl said. “They really want an electrified vehicle. The small risk represented by the potential for fire wouldn’t have been an obstacle for this group of buyers.”

New Technology

The attention focused on the Volt fire was, in part, a result of the vehicle’s new technology, Anwyl said.
“We see gasoline powered vehicles blow up in the movies all the time,” he said. “A vehicle with batteries catches fire and it is portrayed as a big deal.”
Representative Darrell Issa, the California Republican who is chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, plans to hold a hearing on Jan. 25 about the fires and the regulator’s handling of the incidents. GM Chief Executive Officer Dan Akerson and NHTSA Administrator David Strickland are scheduled to testify.
Issa has asked whether President Barack Obama’s administration kept silent about the fires because of its interest in the success of GM’s government-backed restructuring and a U.S. goal of having 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015.

Information Not Withheld

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told reporters in December it was “absolutely not true” that his agency withheld information about the Volt’s safety.
GM, based in Detroit, said Jan. 5 it would provide a fix to the 8,000 plug-in hybrids it has sold, to reduce the risk of a post-crash fire. Strickland said in Detroit Jan. 8 that the agency was pleased with GM’s plan.
The Treasury Department owns 32 percent of GM’s stock, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
To contact the reporter on this story: Angela Greiling Keane in Washington at agreilingkea@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Timothy Franklin at tfranklin14@bloomberg.net

Jeb Bush Refrains From Endorsing Anyone

noreply@blogger.com (rio) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 23:30:00 -0800

Enlarge image

Jeb Bush, Governor of Florida, at a conference on Innovation in Education Systems in Lisbon, Portugal. Photographer: Alfredo Rocha/WireImage

Jeb Bush, the popular former Florida governor, said he will “stay neutral” in the state’s Republican presidential primary while warning his party’s candidates to leave the “circular firing squad” of their debates behind and start appealing to a broader audience.
Bush’s remarks, in an exclusive interview, establish a challenge for his party’s candidates as the contest advances to Florida, where the Jan. 31 primary will take the race into its biggest and most diverse arena yet. The winner will be awarded all of the state’s 57 presidential convention delegates.
Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich have courted Bush’s endorsement in recent days, he says. In December, his father, former President George H. W. Bush, told the Houston Chronicle he was giving Romney an “unofficial” endorsement. John H. Sununu Sr., the senior Bush’s former White House chief of staff, is serving as a surrogate for the Romney campaign.
The younger Bush described both Romney and Gingrich as “credible” candidates in a November contest with President Barack Obama. “I intend to help whoever wins the nomination,” the former governor said in the interview yesterday.
Gingrich has increased the stakes of the Florida contest with his defeat of Romney in yesterday’s South Carolina primary. Polling has shown Romney leading in Florida.
At the same time, Bush said his party’s candidates should adjust the “tone” of their debate on issues such as illegal immigration to start appealing to independent-minded voters in “swing states” such as Florida with a history of voting for either major party. These voters are likely to decide the outcome of the 2012 presidential election.

Romney Tax Returns

Bush also said Romney should disclose his income tax records during the Florida contest, calling Romney’s riches “a wonderful success story.”
“They are going to have 10 days to come make their case, hopefully in a way that positions the candidates for the general election as well, which seems to be less the focus now,” Bush said in a telephone interview.
“Candidates are making lasting impressions on voters, not just primary voters, in how they campaign,” he said from his office in Miami. “You have to remember that in a state like Florida, independent voters will decide the election. You have to maintain your principles but have a broader appeal.”
“We’re sort of in the circular firing squad right now,” Bush said of divisive disputes among the Republican candidates.

Florida’s History

Florida is not only the biggest primary contest so far. It’s also an important win for any presidential nominee.
Obama won Florida by 2.8 percentage points in 2008 with the help of swing-voters in the central region around Orlando and also younger Cuban-Americans less aligned with Republicans than are their parents. Florida also backed Bush’s brother, former President George W. Bush, by 5 percentage points in 2004 and by just 537 votes in 2000 after a fight over disputed ballots that ended in the U.S. Supreme Court (1000L).
Florida also is home to an ethnically diverse electorate. With a population of 18.8 million, Hispanics account for 22.5 percent of the Sunshine State’s residents, blacks 15 percent.

Immigration an Issue

The debate over immigration laws in the Republican Party could be a problem for its nominee, Bush said. Nationally, exit polls showed that 67 percent of Hispanic voters supported Obama in 2008 and 31 percent backed Republican John McCain.
“That could be an issue in the general election that plays out in a negative way for Republican candidates,” Bush said. “In swing-states, Hispanic voters are increasingly the swing voters, and if you, by your tone more than anything else, send a signal that ‘you’re not wanted on my team’ -- and I’m not saying any candidate has done that -- you could alienate voters that could be part of the winning” formula.
Romney has referred to benefits such as in-state Texas college tuition for the children of undocumented immigrants as “magnets” encouraging more immigrants. In a Sept. 7 debate at the Reagan Library in California, Romney said: “We cannot give amnesty to those who have come here illegally.” Those who have arrived recently, he said: “You just go back home.” Those here for a long time with children “and so forth, you let stay enough time to organize their affairs and go home.”

Gingrich Immigration Stance

Gingrich, at a Nov. 22 debate in Washington, D.C., said he supports allowing some illegal immigrants who arrived in the U.S. years ago to remain -- saying that, while those newly arrived with no U.S. ties should be deported, those who entered decades ago, have children and paid taxes shouldn’t be uprooted.
The former Georgia congressman toughened his stance in South Carolina by vowing to uphold the state’s anti-illegal immigration law, which is being challenged in federal court by the U.S. Department of Justice for its impact on minority voters.
“I don’t agree with Mitt’s views on immigration in their totality but that’s OK,” Bush said. “My not endorsing him does not relate to any particular issue.”
“I like Mitt Romney; I think he would be a very credible challenger to President Obama,” said Bush, adding the same of Gingrich -- “and so would Rick Santorum, by the way.”
Yet Bush, fielding requests for endorsements from Romney and Gingrich in recent days and from former Pennsylvania Senator Santorum longer ago, said: “It’s a big decision. Florida is going to play a big role in who the party’s nominee is. I think the voters can make up their own minds.”

Endorsement Power

Endorsements are sought for a reason: In 2008, McCain and Romney tied in opinion polling nearing the Jan. 29 Florida primary. Then-Republican Governor Charlie Crist endorsed McCain four days before the election, and McCain defeated Romney by 5 percentage points, essentially clinching the nomination.
Bush, who served as governor from 1999-2007, left in good standing. In a Quinnipiac University poll of Florida voters released Dec. 26, 2006, 21 percent of those surveyed rated Bush as a “great governor,” 36 percent as a “good governor.”
The year before the 2008 Florida primary, Bush introduced Romney to advisers and friends as a worthy candidate but stopped short of endorsing anyone. In this year’s primary “I’m going to stay neutral,” he said. “I have a lot of friends supporting all the varying candidates, but more importantly I think the voters ought to make the determination.”

Romney’s Advantage

Romney was running twice as strongly as Gingrich and Santorum in a CNN/Time magazine poll of likely Republican voters in Florida taken Jan. 13-17, with Romney supported by 43 percent, Santorum 19 percent and Gingrich 18 percent. That was well before Gingrich won in South Carolina, a prize claimed by every Republican nominated for president since 1980.
In Florida, as in the rest of the nation, Bush said, voters this year are most mindful of the economy.
“The broader issues of how to grow the economy and how to get back to a saner fiscal policy would be the two drivers,” he said. “That is so overwhelmingly on the minds of people.”
Florida’s economic health has declined by 12.4 percent since the first quarter of 2009, when Obama was inaugurated, according to the Bloomberg Economic Evaluation of States. The state’s home prices have declined 22.5 percent in the period.
The debate within the Republican primary over Romney’s success at Bain Capital LLC has made Bush “kind of dizzy,” he said. Romney should disclose his tax returns, as Gingrich has, and should be “talking about his successes” as he campaigns in Florida, according to the state’s former governor.
“He is clearly uncomfortable talking about his own success, which is natural,” Bush said of Romney, a multi- millionaire. “At the same time, I don’t think he has anything to be ashamed of. What a wonderful success story. It should stand as an example of American exceptionalism.”
Ultimately, Bush says, the rigor of the campaign should make the nominee stronger. Looking ahead to the Republican National Convention on Aug. 27-30 -- in Tampa -- Bush says of the contest: “I’d like it not to go all the way to August.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Mark Silva in Washington at msilva34@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jeanne Cummings at jcummings21@bloomberg.net

T-Mobile USA May Raise $3 Billion in Tower Network Sale

noreply@blogger.com (rio) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 23:12:00 -0800

T-Mobile USA’s exploration of a sale of its tower system may help the company raise as much as $3 billion for parent Deutsche Telekom AG (DTE), according to Macquarie Capital USA Inc.
Citing discussions with tower companies American Tower Corp. (AMT), Crown Castle International Corp. (CCI) and SBA Communications Corp. (SBAC), Macquarie analyst Kevin Smithen wrote in a note today that there was potentially “a hotly contested auction” of T- Mobile towers. The price may be at least $2.25 billion and could go higher, the New York-based analyst wrote.
“All three tower companies have expressed strong interest” in T-Mobile towers, Smithen wrote.
T-Mobile is considering the tower sale as a way to fund possible spectrum purchases and an long-term-evolution network expansion, Deutsche Telekom’s Chief Financial Officer Timotheus Hoettges said last month, after the failure of a $39 billion AT&T Inc. (T) takeover bid.
T-Mobile is the fourth-largest U.S. wireless operator. Deutsche Telekom explored a possible T-Mobile tower sale a year ago, and shelved that strategy in March when AT&T made its offer.
Smithen estimated that T-Mobile has 7,500 towers, making up the largest network that might go up for sale unless there is an offering by AT&T or by Verizon Wireless, a joint venture of Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) and Vodafone Group Plc. (VOD)
Philipp Kornstaedt, a Deutsche Telekom spokesman, declined to comment. Representatives for American Tower, Crown Castle and SBA Communications weren’t immediately available for comment.
To contact the reporter on this story: Scott Moritz in New York at smoritz6@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Peter Elstrom at pelstrom@bloomberg.net

Mobile 2012: More coming than just the 'iPad 3'

noreply@blogger.com (rio) — Sun, 8 Jan 2012 23:02:00 -0800

Let's get the easy stuff out of the way: Yes, Virginia, Apple will offer a new iPad model (the so-called iPad 3 that gets so many rumor reports) this year -- likely in March or April, as it has for the last two years. What will be in it? Only Apple knows for sure, but probable enhancements include support for LTE 4G networks, perhaps multicarrier models, perhaps NFC (near-field communications) support, and perhaps a higher-resolution screen. Odds are a new iPhone will debut in the summer or fall, again as it has every year since 2007, and have LTE support, now that the carriers have serious deployments in place of this faster cellular technology, plus NFC support if the so-called iPad 3 gets it. Less likely is support for the new 802.11ac faster Wi-Fi standard, though you can bet it'll appear at some point as market presence increases.
But there's going to be a lot more action this year in mobile than just what Apple does. In fact, I expect 2012 to be an even more exciting year for mobile than even the wild 2011, where we saw Apple's iPhone outsell Research in Motion's BlackBerry in the enterprise, where former mobile superstars RIM, Microsoft, and Nokia all made Hail Mary moves to stay relevant in the mobile market, where Hewlett-Packard promised big and delivered little, and businesses moved past their fear of user-driven mobile technology and began to take it seriously as a new tool for employees.
[ Learn about consumerization of IT in person March 4-6, 2012, at IDG's CITE conference in San Francisco. | Windows 8 is coming, and InfoWorld can help you get ready with the Windows 8 Deep Dive PDF special report, which explains Microsoft's bold new direction for Windows, the new Metro interface for tablet and desktop apps, the transition from Windows 7, and more. | Keep up on key mobile developments and insights with the Mobilize newsletter. ]
Google finally gets its Android act togetherThere's no question in my mind that Android smartphones will continue to grow in adoption, becoming the new cellphone for everyday users. I believe, however, that Android's reach into corporate environments will lag, as the chaos of the Android marketplace -- its multiple Android OS versions, the various skins from the device makers, and the inconsistent use of security and management capabilities -- simply makes the cost too high for IT and users alike to let Android devices gain more than basic access to enterprise resources.
Android 4 "Ice Cream Sandwich" will help; it's a much smoother, better-integrated OS than its predecessors, but its slow start in terms of product availability does not bode well. Nor does the fact that Google favors a couple device makers (Samsung, mainly, and perhaps Motorola Mobility once it's completed that acquisition) and then let the others work off the open source release of Android. That encourages the second-class Android makers to cut corners or add unhelpful "differentiators" such as their own UI skins. Perhaps that's why HTC and other Android device makers have faded in terms of sales.

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4 hot Microsoft technologies coming in 2012

noreply@blogger.com (rio) — Sun, 8 Jan 2012 23:01:00 -0800

The year 2012 brings with it prophecies (of doom, unfortunately -- thanks, Mayans), predictions, and promises in every industry. While I'm no seer of the future, there are four tools and toys I'm particularly anticipating from Microsoft this new year, after 2011's relative dearth of tools and toys from the company.
Microsoft technology No. 1: PST Capture toolWith a big push to get the PST Exchange mailbox archives off the desktop, Microsoft has added archiving to Exchange 2010. The reasons for getting rid of PSTs relate to legal compliance and discovery, which is much more complex -- if not downright impossible -- with PSTs out in the wild. The new archive feature in Exchange, although very much appreciated, still doesn't help us easily get the PST captured and imported into the Exchange Store.
[ Windows 8 is coming, and InfoWorld can help you get ready with the Windows 8 Deep Dive PDF special report, which explains Microsoft's bold new direction for Windows, the new Metro interface for tablet and desktop apps, the transition from Windows 7, and more. | Our Windows Server 8 Deep Dive shows you what to expect in the next-gen server version of Windows. | Stay abreast of key Microsoft technologies in our Technology: Microsoft newsletter. ]
Since July 2011, we have been waiting for Microsoft to release its PST Capture; it was supposed to have shipped by now, but it looks as if it will ship by April. It's true that third-party tools already offer similar archiving capabilities, but I prefer to get such tools for free from the Microsoft Exchange team, especially when budgets are tight.
Microsoft technology No. 2: Windows 8 tabletsAfter recently buying my wife an iPad 2 (and secretly admiring it), I keep saying, "Well, sure this is nice, but wait until Windows 8." The response I keep getting, even from some big names in IT: "Pete, it's over. Microsoft lost this one." I refuse to accept that.
Apple has to worry about both the tablet and the OS. Microsoft only has to worry about the OS. The viability of that approach is already proven in the Android market, where tablets enhanced by Samsung and others are challenging the iPad phenomenom. Microsoft has already done most of the work in Windows 8, and its success or failure will come down to three issues:

It must appeal to the masses, which means it has to be sleek and iCandy-oriented like the iPad
The marketing campaign has to be compelling (in other words, no Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates); Microsoft might want to see if Justin Long's contract has run out over at Apple
Developers will need to embrace it and create apps for it in much the same way the iPad and Android tablets gained thousands of apps

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Nginx overtakes Microsoft as No. 2 Web server

noreply@blogger.com (rio) — Sun, 8 Jan 2012 23:00:00 -0800

With financial backing from the likes of Michael Dell and other venture capitalists, open source upstart Nginx has edged out Microsoft IIS (Internet Information Server) to hold the title of second-most widely used Web server among all active websites. What's more, according to Netcraft's January 2012 Web Server Survey, Nginx over the past month has gained market share among all websites, whereas competitors Apache, Microsoft, and Google each lost share.
Nginx has made quite a splash since its creator Igor Syosev, along with Andrew Alexeev, co-founded the company last July. The platform, which debuted in 2004 and was designed for high-volume Web traffic, runs on some 25 percent of the world's 1,000 busiest websites, including Facebook, Zappos, Groupon, Hulu, Dropbox, and WordPress. Nginx last October received $3 million in funding from venture capital firms MSD Capital -- the Dell CEO's private investment company -- as well as BV Capital and Runa Capital.
According to Netcraft, Nginx now runs on 12.18 percent of all active websites -- that is, sites with unique content and aren't generated from templates -- for a total of around 22.2 million, according to Netcraft. In all, Netcraft found over 582 million websites for the January 2012 survey; around 18 million were active.
By comparison, Nginx ran on 11.6 percent of active sites (around 20.3 million in total) at the start of last December, meaning the open source platform's share jumped 0.57 percent. Microsoft IIS, by contrast, now runs on 12.14 percent of active websites, for a total of around 22.1 million. That represents a 0.17 percent drop compared to its December standing, when the platform powered 12.31 percent of active websites for a total of about 21.6 million.
Notably, although top-ranked Apache holds a healthy lead over the competition, running 57.93 percent of all active websites for a total of around 105.7 million, it too experienced a decline in overall share, down from 58.2 percent in December. Google, ranked No. 4 on Netcraft's list, saw its share dip as well, from 8.13 percent to 7.9 percent.
Taking into account servers for all sites covering all domains, Microsoft holds a healthy lead over Nginx, accounting for 14.46 percent of sites for a total of around 84.2 million. Nginx runs on 56.1 million of all sites, representing 9.63 percent. Apache dwarfs them both: 64.9 percent for a total of 378 million sites. Google rests in the fourth spot with a 7.9 percent market share, covering 14.4 million sites.
However, whereas Apache, Microsoft, and Google saw their market share drop, respectively, by 0.3 percent, 0.39 percent, and 0.07 percent since last month, Nginx's share jumped 0.78 percent.
Finally, among the world's 1 million busiest sites, Apache holds a market share of 64.4 percent (640,547 sites), down 0.36 percent since December; Microsoft's share is 14.99 percent (149,209 sites), down 0.01 percent; Nginx represents 8.49 percent (84,541 sites), up 0.28 percent month over month; and Google handles 2.4 percent (23,894 sites), an increase of 0.09 percent.
This article, "Nginx overtakes Microsoft IIS as No. 2 Web server," was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Get the first word on what the important tech news really means with the InfoWorld Tech Watch blog. For the latest business technology news, follow InfoWorld.com on Twitter.

Smartphone face-off: iOS 5 vs. Android 4 vs. Windows Phone 7.5 vs. BlackBerry OS 7

noreply@blogger.com (rio) — Sun, 8 Jan 2012 22:59:00 -0800

iOS 5, Android 4 "Ice Cream Sandwich," Windows Phone 7.5 "Mango," and BlackBerry OS 7 were all released in the past few months, each promising to advance the iPhone, Android smartphones, Windows Phones, and BlackBerrys respectively to the head of the mobile pack. But only one can be the best.
InfoWorld has tested each of the major mobile OSes on the flagship devices for each OS to see what the best smartphone is for business and professional users. The answer is without a doubt the iPhone 4S, thanks to iOS 5, the Apple ecosystem, the smartphone's solid hardware, and the new Siri voice-controlled "intelligent" assistant. But as good as the iPhone 4S is, it does not beat the competition in every respect, showing it has room for improvement and that Apple doesn't excel at every aspect of modern mobile computing.
[ Learn about consumerization of IT in person March 4-6, 2012, at IDG's CITE conference in San Francisco. | Get expert advice about planning and implementing your BYOD strategy with InfoWorld's 29-page "Mobile and BYOD Deep Dive" PDF special report. | Keep up on key mobile developments and insights with the Mobilize newsletter. ]
For the deep details of each of the major devices, read our full reviews, as this comparison focuses on the highlights and lowlights of each platform's flagship smartphone:

Apple iPhone 4S (iOS 5)
Samsung Focus S (Windows Phone 7.5)
Samsung Galaxy Nexus (Android 4)
Motorola Photon 4G (Android 2.3)
RIM BlackBerry Bold 9900 (BlackBerry OS 7)

You can also calculate personalized scores for all of these devices by entering your own weightings for each review category in InfoWorld's smartphone calculator.

Test Center Scorecard

	20%	20%	15%	20%	15%	10%
Apple iPhone 4S	9	8	10	8	9	9	8.8 Very Good
	20%	20%	15%	20%	15%	10%
Motorola Mobility Photon 4G	8	7	7	7	8	8	7.5 Good
	20%	20%	15%	20%	15%	10%
RIM BlackBerry Bold 9900	7	8	5	9	6	6	7.1 Good
	20%	20%	15%	20%	15%	10%
Samsung Focus S	7	5	6	5	8	7	6.2 Fair
	20%	20%	15%	20%	15%	10%
Samsung Galaxy Nexus	8	7	8	7	7	9	7.6 Good

See more Smartphones

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10 programming languages that could shake up IT

noreply@blogger.com (rio) — Sun, 8 Jan 2012 22:56:00 -0800

Do we really need another programming language? There is certainly no shortage of choices already. Between imperative languages, functional languages, object-oriented languages, dynamic languages, compiled languages, interpreted languages, and scripting languages, no developer could ever learn all of the options available today.
And yet, new languages emerge with surprising frequency. Some are designed by students or hobbyists as personal projects. Others are the products of large IT vendors. Even small and midsize companies are getting in on the action, creating languages to serve the needs of their industries. Why do people keep reinventing the wheel?
[ Find out which 11 programming trends are on the rise, verse yourself in the 12 programming mistakes to avoid, and test your programming smarts with our programming IQ test: Round 1 and Round 2. | Keep up on key application development insights with the Fatal Exception blog and Developer World newsletter. ]
The answer is that, as powerful and versatile as the current crop of languages may be, no single syntax is ideally suited for every purpose. What's more, programming itself is constantly evolving. The rise of multicore CPUs, cloud computing, mobility, and distributed architectures have created new challenges for developers. Adding support for the latest features, paradigms, and patterns to existing languages -- especially popular ones -- can be prohibitively difficult. Sometimes the best answer is to start from scratch.
Here, then, is a look at 10 cutting-edge programming languages, each of which approaches the art of software development from a fresh perspective, tackling a specific problem or a unique shortcoming of today's more popular languages. Some are mature projects, while others are in the early stages of development. Some are likely to remain obscure, but any one of them could become the breakthrough tool that changes programming for years to come -- at least, until the next batch of new languages arrives.
Experimental programming language No. 1: Dart
JavaScript is fine for adding basic interactivity to Web pages, but when your Web applications swell to thousands of lines of code, its weaknesses quickly become apparent. That's why Google created Dart, a language it hopes will become the new vernacular of Web programming.
Like JavaScript, Dart uses C-like syntax and keywords. One significant difference, however, is that while JavaScript is a prototype-based language, objects in Dart are defined using classes and interfaces, as in C++ or Java. Dart also allows programmers to optionally declare variables with static types. The idea is that Dart should be as familiar, dynamic, and fluid as JavaScript, yet allow developers to write code that is faster, easier to maintain, and less susceptible to subtle bugs.

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Apple squeezes maker of realistic Steve Jobs doll, threatens legal action

noreply@blogger.com (rio) — Thu, 5 Jan 2012 21:00:00 -0800

It appears that, after In Icon’s ultra-realistic Steve Jobs doll hit the headlines, Apple has moved to block sales of the figurine, squeezing the Chinese toy maker and threatening it with legal action.

The Telegraph reports that the 12-inch model, which ships as an almost exact replica of the iconic Apple co-founder complete with blue jeans, black turtleneck and white trainers, has been targeted by Apple, which threatens to sue the toy maker unless it stops trading.

The doll is on sale for $99 and was set to begin shipping to customers in February.

The issue focuses on the likeness of the figurine has to the former Apple CEO, which Apple claims it owns the rights to. The company reportedly sent a letter to In Icons stating that “any toy that resembles the technology company’s logo, person’s name, appearance or likeness of its products is a criminal offence,” writes The Telegraph.

In Icon boss Tandy Cheung had previously said that Apple could “do anything they like”, adding that the company “will not stop, we already started production”. Cheung had spoke with lawyers in Hong Kong who had told him that he was not violating Apple’s intellectual property as long as he didn’t include any Apple products.

He argued:

“Steve Jobs is not an actor, he’s just a celebrity… There is no copyright protection for a normal person. Steve Jobs is not a product… so I don’t think Apple has the copyright of him.”

Expecting Apple to move and block sales, sellers of the doll are already fetching upwards of $135 on eBay.

Apple has successfully blocked sales of other Steve Jobs models in the past, curbing sales of a figurine created by MIC Gadget in 2010.