Nokia and Intel have just announced the creation of MeeGo, a new Linux-based operating system designed for portable devices including netbooks and smartphones as well as other non-desktop platforms like connected TVs and vehicles. The new OS is a combination of Nokia's Maemo and Intel's Moblin, both Linux-based computing environments. This partnership is notable not just for combining two different Linux platforms under one roof, but for its cross-platform support of both Intel and ARM chips, the latter currently popular in mobile devices like Apple's iPhone thanks to its low power consumption needs.

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The MeeGo operating system is designed to let developers write once and then deploy to a number of hardware platforms including everything from smartphones to netbooks and more, a popular strategy these days in an increasingly fragmented mobile world. The same strategy has also been recently embraced by Adobe, who now lets their developers write once and then deploy their Flash apps to any operating system, both desktop and laptop-based or mobile.

Applications that previously worked on Maemo or Moblin will work on the new MeeGo OS, too, say the companies. Also, the new platform is not intended to replace Nokia's own Symbian OS, Nokia assures. Instead, using the Qt application and UI framework, developers can deploy apps to both MeeGo and other platforms, including Symbian. The resulting applications will then be marketed through [...]

Mon Feb 15, 2010 09:25 am

For quite some time, Android has been gaining on Apple's mobile operating system, looking more and more like it would become a favorite among advertisers.  Millennial Media has determined that Android's growth slowed a bit in June, however, while Apple saw some impressive increases.

According to Millennial Media's latest Mobile Mix report, "Apple ad requests increased 36% month-over-month; iPad ad requests grew 206% month-over-month."  Which is quite impressive, particularly considering the problems that surrounded the iPhone 4's launch.

Android ad requests, meanwhile, grew just 23 percent in the same period, which is fine, but appears a little weak in comparison.  And that number could signal something of a falloff considering that ad requests have grown 439 percent since January.

As for how the situation looks if you take a step back from the stats concerning ad requests, Millennial Media stated, "Apple OS remained the leading Smartphone OS on our network in June with a 56% share of impressions and an 8% growth month-over-month."

Apple would perhaps do well to press its advantage and take the necessary steps to resolve all the iPhone 4 complaints, then.  Android devices come out on a regular basis; it'll be quite some time before another iPhone surfaces to give Apple's operating system an additional boost.

Stay tuned - we'll be sure to report whatever Apple announces at its iPhone 4-centric press conference tomorrow.

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Thu Jul 15, 2010 12:50 pm

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Disney, NBC, Warner Bros., Others Line Up Against YouTube

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If moral support determined the outcome of lawsuits, YouTube might be in a whole lot of trouble.  Fourteen organizations - including very important companies like Disney, NBC, and Warner Bros. - have officially declared themselves friends of Viacom by filing a legal brief.

Here's the full list of Viacom's new supporters: the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, the Association of American Publishers, BMI, the Center for the Rule of Law, Disney, the Institute for Policy Innovation, the Media Institute, NBC, the Picture Archive Council of America, Professional Photographers of America, Rosetta Stone, SESAC, Warner Bros., and Zuffa.

As for what they had to say, their amicus curiae brief made three arguments: "Congress enacted the DMCA to ensure vigorous copyright protection for digital works," "The Court should not permit service providers that intentionally encourage infringement to hide behind Section 512," and "The 'right and ability to control' must be construed in a manner consistent with the meaning given that term in the common law."

Of course, judges aren't supposed to put matters to a vote, and Viacom's own lawyers have probably voiced these points a hundred times, so it's possible that this development will have no real effect.

Still, it's a bit startling to see that YouTube's made so many powerful enemies, and even if Viacom loses this lawsuit, it's not hard to imagine that the coalition would choose to go after YouTube in some other way, putting it in legal jeopardy for years.

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Wed May 12, 2010 09:40 am

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Google Introduces New Version of Commerce Search

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Google has announced the launch of Commerce Search 2.0 for retailers in the United States and the United Kingdom. This is a new version that the company says provides a better online experience for shoppers, as well as greater control, while providing immediate ROI for retailers.

Google Commerce Search originally launched back in November. It was kind of like Google Site Search, specifically tailored to e-commerce and product sites. 

This Video runs down the new features:

Improvements include: more merchant customization, a better shopping experience, and improved browsing and navigation. Google elaborates on these here.

Google has also introduced a new pricing model for the product, beginning at 25,000/year.

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Thu Jun 17, 2010 12:25 pm

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