February search engine market share number are in, more of the same
Today, ComScore released its search engine market share numbers for February 2010, and to be honest, there wasn’t much movement. Google and Bing both gained a little ground: Google’s market share rose 0.1 percentage point from 65.4% to 65.5% while Bing’s share gained 0.2% rising from 11.3% to 11.5%. Yahoo and Ask both gave up a little bit of the search pie: Yahoo declined from 17% to 16.8% and Ask fell slightly from 3.8% to 3.7% market share. AOL’s slice of search remained unchanged at around 2.5%. We’ve got the full report, and all the insipid details that go with it, linked up for you.
Why Apple Should Buy Adobe
The rumors of Adobe being bought by Apple come up every so often. Apple could easily afford such a purchase and the results would be interesting. I would love to see Adobe restructured by a company like Apple. Adobe has many applications that are the gold standard but it seems to lack focus. These are my thoughts on what Apple could do with Adobe’s biggest apps and make everyone’s life a lot easier.
VideoAdobe’s video market could be trimmed down. Anything that can already be done in Final Cut Studio should be gone, including Premiere and Soundbooth. I’m not sure if After Effects would even be worth it in the end. Most believe that Final Cut is a very nice video suite on the Mac platform and in the PC world, AVID holds the crown. Why is a program like Premiere needed? It’s not quite AVID but way better than Windows Movie Maker. Now throw Sony Vegas in there and it’s starting to get crowded. Apple could create Final Cut for the PC or forget about them altogether. This would come down to money in the long run. I personally don’t think Apple needs to worry about the PC side unless they are going to legitimately compete against AVID for dominance.
DesignPhotoshop and Illustrator go hand in hand with Apple. The general public thinks of Apple when Photoshop is mentioned and vice versa. This is known as one of Apple’s strongest markets. Most believe that these design apps run better on a Mac but as we know, Adobe is slow in keeping these flagship apps on the cutting edge. Apple could force them to be designed for the latest and greatest environments. While they’re at it, stop releasing new versions every year that don’t have any significant improvements. Adobe needs the money to keep rolling in through yearly revisions but Apple wouldn’t have this problem. Make a new version when real features are created. In an educational environment, we are forced to upgrade every year because the textbooks only cover the newest versions. This puts a large strain on software budgets.
DocumentsAcrobat should also be restructured and brought back to its core purpose. Every other week we hear of an exploit in PDF’s and it’s because they don’t do the simple task they were conceived to do. Strip out all the extra junk and just make PDF’s do what they need to do. Reader should be killed for the Mac OS also, Preview is way quicker and does the job just fine.
FlashThen there’s the elephant in the room, Flash. Oh my dear old friend, you were once so cool. Animations, games, crazy navigation menus and long site intros were such a treat. Now I have grown bored with you.
The problem is that Flash is so ubiquitous with the web that it can’t just be tossed out into the street. Apple would need to clean it up significantly and keep it around until HTML5 took over. They should only provide security fixes but no new features. This would allow it a peaceful death.
Adobe has so many products that it’s kind of ridiculous. Most of them could either be worked into existing Apple products or forgotten forever. If Apple did purchase Adobe, what about the PC side of Adobe’s business? They would have to crunch the numbers to see what products are worth the extra cost of development, but Apple could really limit what’s available for Windows. Whether that would that be a good or bad thing, I’m not really sure. In Apple’s mind, if it sells more Macs then it’s worth doing.
I believe Apple could really improve Adobe’s products and make them more reliable than they ever have been. It would end the grudge that they have against each other and hopefully get applications like Acrobat and Flash back to their roots. Adding useless features just to sell a different version every year will not win you any fans. Make it a worthwhile upgrade or inexpensive and I will gladly support you.
Why Apple Should Buy Adobe
The rumors of Adobe being bought by Apple come up every so often. Apple could easily afford such a purchase and the results would be interesting. I would love to see Adobe restructured by a company like Apple. Adobe has many applications that are the gold standard but it seems to lack focus. These are my thoughts on what Apple could do with Adobe’s biggest apps and make everyone’s life a lot easier.
VideoAdobe’s video market could be trimmed down. Anything that can already be done in Final Cut Studio should be gone, including Premiere and Soundbooth. I’m not sure if After Effects would even be worth it in the end. Most believe that Final Cut is a very nice video suite on the Mac platform and in the PC world, AVID holds the crown. Why is a program like Premiere needed? It’s not quite AVID but way better than Windows Movie Maker. Now throw Sony Vegas in there and it’s starting to get crowded. Apple could create Final Cut for the PC or forget about them altogether. This would come down to money in the long run. I personally don’t think Apple needs to worry about the PC side unless they are going to legitimately compete against AVID for dominance.
DesignPhotoshop and Illustrator go hand in hand with Apple. The general public thinks of Apple when Photoshop is mentioned and vice versa. This is known as one of Apple’s strongest markets. Most believe that these design apps run better on a Mac but as we know, Adobe is slow in keeping these flagship apps on the cutting edge. Apple could force them to be designed for the latest and greatest environments. While they’re at it, stop releasing new versions every year that don’t have any significant improvements. Adobe needs the money to keep rolling in through yearly revisions but Apple wouldn’t have this problem. Make a new version when real features are created. In an educational environment, we are forced to upgrade every year because the textbooks only cover the newest versions. This puts a large strain on software budgets.
DocumentsAcrobat should also be restructured and brought back to its core purpose. Every other week we hear of an exploit in PDF’s and it’s because they don’t do the simple task they were conceived to do. Strip out all the extra junk and just make PDF’s do what they need to do. Reader should be killed for the Mac OS also, Preview is way quicker and does the job just fine.
FlashThen there’s the elephant in the room, Flash. Oh my dear old friend, you were once so cool. Animations, games, crazy navigation menus and long site intros were such a treat. Now I have grown bored with you.
The problem is that Flash is so ubiquitous with the web that it can’t just be tossed out into the street. Apple would need to clean it up significantly and keep it around until HTML5 took over. They should only provide security fixes but no new features. This would allow it a peaceful death.
Adobe has so many products that it’s kind of ridiculous. Most of them could either be worked into existing Apple products or forgotten forever. If Apple did purchase Adobe, what about the PC side of Adobe’s business? They would have to crunch the numbers to see what products are worth the extra cost of development, but Apple could really limit what’s available for Windows. Whether that would that be a good or bad thing, I’m not really sure. In Apple’s mind, if it sells more Macs then it’s worth doing.
I believe Apple could really improve Adobe’s products and make them more reliable than they ever have been. It would end the grudge that they have against each other and hopefully get applications like Acrobat and Flash back to their roots. Adding useless features just to sell a different version every year will not win you any fans. Make it a worthwhile upgrade or inexpensive and I will gladly support you.
Dot-Com Craze Peaked 10 Years Ago This Week
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
kdawson1603576136431724128502688941761224687262Apple to be the Android killer? Windows Phone 7 Series the Savior?
Apple’s patent lawsuit against HTC may be much more far reaching than initially thought. According to a report at CNN’s Fortune website, Apple’s lawsuit has Android handset manufacturers shaking in their boots with many hiring legal teams, revising their OS strategies, sending hardware back to engineering, and changing development roadmaps behind closed doors. It all started in early 2009 when Apple COO Tim Cook launched the first attack during an earning conference call by stating “we will not stand for having our IP ripped off and we’ll use whatever weapons we have at our disposal. I don’t know that I can be more clear than that.” Apple publicly remained passive during much of 2009, sitting idle while Palm launched the Pre and other manufacturers pushed out non-multi-touch smartphones that posed no threat to its iPhone market share. Enter the HTC DROID ERIS, the Nexus One, and the Motorola DROID which recently took the smartphone world by storm with their sleek good looks and potential multi-touch capability. Apple is now on the proverbial warpath with HTC as its first target and other manufacturers fearful that they will be next as Apple reportedly held conversations with “Tier 1″ device manufacturers to inform them of Apple’s intentions. The winner in this fearful frenzy, ironically, may be Microsoft which is reportedly swooping in with its extensive patent library in hand, and promising Windows Phone 7 Series as a safe harbor to companies that are fearful of Apple’s wrath. It all sounds like a daytime soap opera conjured up for the geek world but it is unfortunately and incredibly true.
March 8, 1955: The Mother of All Operating Systems
Details on the methodology behind the Pennsylvania school spy case are uncovered
You have probably read about the Harriton High spy case where the school administration of the Lower Merion School District (LMSD) is being accused of using school-issued MacBooks to spy remotely on its students. The case has received national attention and is now the subject of a FBI investigation. What you might not have read is this detailed investigation by Stryde Hax, a security consultant who probes the methodology and possibly identifies the person(s) behind this abuse of technology. Stryde Hax makes a connection between the LANRev software supposedly used to spy remotely on the students and Mike Perbix, a Network Tech at LMSD. Mr. Perbix stars in a promotional webcast for LANRev in which he boasts of the software’s ability to spy remotely without user detection. Stryde Hax also uncovers comments from former and current students that paint a picture of a school that forced students to use school-issued MacBooks, confiscated personal laptops that were used in lieu of the school-issued hardware, claimed that the green blinking webcam light was a glitch, and expelled students that tried to remove or disable the remote spy software. Tying it all together, Stryde Hax reverse engineers the LANRev software to take a peek at its inner workings and demonstrates its usage as a very stealthy remote spying solution. With content that is worthy of the best Tom Clancy novel, Stryde Hax’s lengthy blog post is filled with details on the Orwellian nature of this case.
20+ Websites To Bookmark For Logo Design Inspiration
Visual or not, there are lots of factors that define a brand. And within the visual ones, logo is probably the most important element.
It can be a logotype, a symbol or a combination where none is better than other & can define too many things like strength, sincerity, quality, speed, etc.
If you're looking for inspiration to create an awesome logo, here is a collection of 20+ frequently updated websites that present beautiful logos around the world which will definitely help you:
LogoPond Logo Faves LogoHeroes> LogoSpire LogoLounge LogoSauce Logo Of The Day Wolda LogoFury Creattica > Logos Logo From Dreams Awards LogoGala Logobliss LogoGalleria LogoMoose Typebased LogotalkZ Logo Inspirations Logomix Logofi LogoTwoSpecial Downloads:
Ajaxed Add-To-Basket Scenarios With jQuery And PHP
Free Admin Template For Web Applications
jQuery Dynamic Drag’n Drop
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A Warming Planet Can Mean More Snow
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
kdawson047661173628705328301825327644754608702012301704032470945698125645309159315249371773331066126489658716274948034199257450148815667444207032330432684901256702523005690880251688479060Google working on voice-to-voice translation for cell phones
UK-based Times Online is reporting that Google is developing a mobile phone service that will have the ability to translate speech, from one language to another, on the fly. Google’s hoping to build off of their text-to-text translation engine — which is currently capable of translating 52 languages — and voice search technologies. “We think speech-to-speech translation should be possible and work reasonably well in a few years’ time,” said Google’s chief of translation services. Industry experts remain skeptical, however, about the proposed timetable, “The problem with speech recognition is the variability in accents. No system at the moment can handle that properly,” said David Crystal, professor of Linguistics at Bangor University. “Maybe Google will be able to get there faster than everyone else, but I think it’s unlikely we’ll have a speech device in the next few years that could handle high-speed Glaswegian slang.” It certainly is an aggressive goal, and one we are pretty excited about. We’ll stay on top of this story and report back as more becomes available.
Google Voice Quick Reference Cheatsheet v2.0 Speeds Through Phone Menus [Cheatsheets]
A while back we highlighted a Google Voice Quick Reference cheatsheet you can keep near your phone that lays out Google Voice's voicemail menu tree so you can quickly skip to whatever action you want. The cheatsheet (above) just updated with a few more details here and there, so if you're a Voice user, it's worth grabbing. [Cool Geex]
Adam Pash08721408516924715310064622426067180682071015168876673242659712812045112787004969025237688179651092571067715751179329411903306530207892009510083053897878082226820913247969789102277203710303363093483267016315617336629652490157172303390372928516664260317709228043125002737739613875830584195842504269160314349957743663114168002116195333676977710042178060094505446002699280246354944016061932887052234979120262975641412753876304469394733444431566032408483737208471871301158754646783212411278190828139695501181806969746087072741534411086734937718303333861619844261732104239489707132213860114040014010899696201074684414682580447154800397352921942970501375792727901727313329935077813101096177506929067451368480673479418078616774014468065965398950133079669121328444473460365225652463142095902521387969137911343038708466938432693961213434802374174018410738481211695447838014022011566992343091783707286073142719316042065545852382174143795134229667807031430383497182126751814236613599568021421122038912315492546341439313041784382040501232272100307789173179987629724163415530290746717219817726418429931586481531764166457254109124857071363863169411665336605319400365194439761058723604248143524770774317756065966920616937570405818335258003038239322967688050148313390554613604705392877960948869803094580478499179228051134515889785506299709850700030443419634075612718078874440891019228236179990579615918801121452877756111918593494426054601512376346451522030813168172855470205435055271053537435116010445261229279793706004070961682302417258017187449963818663710668219692826271516713974571767082281071183864409437773159331401330240306387765902780276477348448202072336285274585748721758193975822511073902310539737002339872015638881336344922550002166981857014035406804310854388788065010481896767947763710589954992605025685403113315007806702058035228380019153197361621966625338300073017194248715913598367079181842936262479500799239977288455602317309312148310888709067017949972921698810088946889758226185910255269683103153070
BenderConverter Grabs Video From the Web [Video]
Tools that help you download videos from YouTube and other video sharing services on the web are old hat, but BenderConverter is a simple-to-use web-based solution with a wide variety of download options.
At BenderConverter you can not only perform the basic conversions available at most conversion sites—like turning a web-based video into an MPEG or AVI file—but you can also download it as an audio file (MP3 and WAV) or a variety of video files like 3GP for phones, MOV, MP4, and WMV. You can even download it converted to an animated GIF or have BenderConverter convert the frames into JPEG images.
Have a favorite web site, bookmarklet, extension, or other tool for grabbing video off the web? Let's hear about it in the comments.
BenderConverter [via MakeUseOf]Jason Fitzpatrick03831064764664799320143248376305971004930744491321283758271617547998675085036299025237688179651092571151709750232166239305577970665310203295046638345376616422640276528186111560681408305389787808222682151432835707587363230163156173366296524906118425324982749783158354405488906453481817201817159406829000667782675674755547058419584250426916031131968678633611912418047307326944477085177828353205595827161685163068050083952212713000469270150863139941305102970408640474933053449610183413371117058929480399114734753810923804901828247337540573831400597812614721248417179643888657461710910176835948836523289102374025232314013349007385055951589836191127819082813969550118180696974608707274081741769861505852460140396547192633310506060336014013027844174802126007040475691512222352726511917307541182593207520018144750856324737276121149344672636976915905013757927279017273112244661811618391821338834506171832541900658807719888717454067347941807861677401474747118981712624713346388570180111552008730849163868158010043966121129367005406382850256160569913096669010710417637211141527403281639824815907565587640365829079669121328444473460929534061994693475606864778091611050057025213879691379113431069857582162900848503644179181219103988029348014009696088870899888940733537529310233208757760824644118560405342221017170166605967599796880713949945115150848372061581362087049477071123252445208791787315453718120721344908014022011566992343091095923450313972038017427101697595086287157841566704880346961648145925732040920317518440910000459095130438945785184080511220389123154925463416053847440690961863179053064900662914610296518404444748250806653283469969812089107161130618790852200926863216119976915706356140570470788237016978536907387751250823227425915771266310553208531349052599013448094390536428350915544403320022042715330924713093933289108856336486443958761842993158648153176410894198948226029169113269243369633952910295868698495585639408595727808404117780112474216036905615720162951949978758056008327834310335427887
Antivirus Software On Your Mac: Yes or No?
Just over a year ago, Mac users began to feel a bit more Windows-like after a major Mac trojan horse was discovered in the wild. Of course, you’d get it only if you obtained copies of pirated software. While there had been a few scattered OS X virus reports, this trojan had the most destructive potential to date.
Since that rumble last year, the Mac security front has been relatively quiet. This begs the question that has been on many people’s minds and one I get asked on a daily basis: “Why don’t Macs get viruses?”
Of course, we know the question isn’t valid. Macs can be attacked as evidenced earlier. Even Apple suggests running some kind of antivirus software on your Mac and included one with a .Mac subscription. Additionally, numerous security flaws are found and Apple releases regular security updates to patch them up. So, a better question might be “Why don’t Mac users have to worry about malware like Windows users do?” I suspect a relatively small number of readers have active antivirus software running on their Mac, despite Apple’s recommendation. For purposes of simplicity, we’ll lump viruses, worms, spyware, malware, and trojans under the common term of “viruses.” Here are the common responses given and my take on them.
Macs Aren’t PopularWhy do people rob banks? That’s where the money is! (Sutton’s Law). Because Windows-based computers represent around 90 percent of the market, virus writers get more bang for their buck. Not only does a Windows virus spread farther and faster due to its numbers, but the people writing viruses are more likely to have Windows machines upon which to code. And the banks are running Windows as well, so Windows is where the money is.
Of course, when Apple introduced Intel-based computers, some were concerned that Macs would get PC viruses because they were running the same chips. The chip switch was a legitimate concern, but for a different reason. If cheap PCs could be turned into Macs, the enemy could use that to their advantage and begin diversifying. Hacking the Mac OS to run on a PC would provide an easy way for malware writers to explore the MacOS.
However, as the Mac’s popularity has increased, we haven’t seen a rise in viruses for the Mac. Popularity is a weak rationale.
Macs Don’t Maintain Backward CompatibilitySince 1984, Apple has made multiple shifts in its operating system strategy. First there was the shift from 68K processors to PowerPC, and then the shift from Classic to OS X, and then finally the shift from PowerPC to Intel based processors. That old copy of MacWrite or NetTrek won’t run on your new MacBook without major emulation and other chicanery. On the other hand, WordPerfect 5.1 for DOS runs great on a Windows 7 PC with just a minor tweak.
Microsoft, in order to maintain compatibility with older products, has never fully excised old code and flaws in its operating system. Apple has been willing on at least three occasions to completely abandon old software and start from scratch. Because Apple controls the hardware and the software and has a much smaller installed base, it is better positioned to make these drastic moves.
Ironically, Macs used to get tons of viruses in the System 7 days. I fondly remember “Disinfectant,” and countless viruses spread via floppy disk. As the Classic OS evolved, less and less viruses worked until finally OS X rewrote the OS book. Which leads to the final reason for the dearth of Mac nasties.
Macs Were Designed with Security in MindSince Apple knew about Mac viruses, it was able to redesign the operating system with safeguards in place to prevent malware outbreaks. The proper use of the Administrator account and password was the most important key in preventing the spread of any Mac viruses. For those unfamiliar, on a Windows XP PC, programs can install automatically without an administrator name and password. While Vista and Windows 7 ask permission sometimes, you can still easily install programs (and therefore viruses) without intervention from a user.
Alternatively, Mac programs requires someone with Administrator privileges in order to install most software. In my day job as a computer repair tech, countless Mac clients can’t even remember their own password, so they are extremely unlikely to accidentally install some software. Windows PCs are usually infected by clicking on some kind of link followed by Windows automatically installing a virus in the background without user consent or intervention. This idea is as foreign to Mac users as a .dll file.
Because Apple has a quicker schedule in updating and patching its operating system, any flaw that is found and acknowledged by Apple can easily be patched via an update or the next operating system. Getting Apple to acknowledge some of these flaws is a different story, though Snow Leopard provided protection against the trojans discovered last year.
View This Pollsurvey Should You Run Mac Antivirus Software?
Good question. Apple said at one time it recommended antivirus software (though later it recanted), yet most Mac users don’t. The risks of a virus on your Mac are slim and protection software is perceived as slowing down computers and being generally buggy. Unlike most other software, virus protection requires a yearly fee to keep protection active. If you stay away from the red light district on the Internet, you are much less likely to get a virus. Make sure your system password is a good one and hard to guess. Be wary of any software you download and check the source. That’s why you get the warning now whenever you download a program from the Internet. Common sense is your first line of defense.
Personally, at home, I have ClamXav installed. It’s a free program that will scan your Mac to determine if you have a virus, but won’t pre-emptively protect you from getting one. It’s an “on-demand” versus an active scanner. I update and run it every so often after I hear of some new threat.
For my work computer, I have Intego VirusBarrier installed. The program is unobtrusive and has little or no impact on the performance of my Mac mini. Because I work with a large number of clients, I can’t always guarantee that they haven’t downloaded an Internet Nasty and I don’t want to catch what they have on their computer.
The choice is yours whether to run antivirus software. The reasons why Macs don’t get many viruses are as much based on luck and market conditions, as they are on inherent security. At the very least, besides a good administrative password, a Mac on the Internet should have a copy of ClamXAV on it that can be run at the first sign of trouble and updated after a suspected outbreak. Furthermore, remember that “social engineering” threats, like phishing emails that attempt to steal your passwords can affect Mac and Windows users equally. Stay on your toes and never respond to unexpected emails that try to scare you into visiting a website that requires your password or other personal information.
Google Maps To Add "Google Store Views" (Barry Schwartz/Search Engine Land)
Barry Schwartz / Search Engine Land:
Google Maps To Add “Google Store Views” — I received a tip from a New York retailer named Oh Nuts, that Google came to their store to take pictures for a new Google Maps product named “Google Store Views.” I was told that they took pictures of the inside of the store, every 6 feet, in all directions.
Google and NSA team up to protect the cloud
The Washington Post is reporting that internet search giant Google, and America’s electronic security agency, the NSA, will be teaming up to analyze data from the recent cyber attack that is believed to have originated from China. Neither the NSA nor Google is commenting on the partnership, however the Post has an anonymous source who claims, “the alliance is being designed to allow the two organizations to share critical information without violating Google’s policies or laws that protect the privacy of Americans’ online communications.” The Post went on to say, “the deal does not mean the NSA will be viewing users’ searches or e-mail accounts or that Google will be sharing proprietary data.” What do you think? Does the thought of the NSA working with Google make you feel more secure?
'Don't Be Evil,' Meet 'Spy on Everyone' — How NSA Deal Could Kill Google
'Don't Be Evil,' Meet 'Spy on Everyone' — How NSA Deal Could Kill Google
'Don't Be Evil,' Meet 'Spy on Everyone' — How NSA Deal Could Kill Google
SlingPlayer iPhone App Gets Go-Ahead to Stream Over 3G [Streaming Television]
If you've got a SlingBox and an iPhone, you could previously fork over another $30 to get the SlingPlayer app and watch your home TV and recordings ... over Wi-Fi, which kind of defeated the whole purpose of mobile watching (aren't you usually home already when you're on Wi-Fi?). But Sling and AT&T have reached an agreement on 3G streaming, so the SlingPlayer will get an upgrade to truly mobile TV streaming as soon as Apple approves the upgrade. Existing SlingPlayer owners will get the upgraded version free. Would watching your Sling content over 3G make sense for you, or is this a whole lot of money to spend when there's already lots of streaming TV on the web? [NYTimes via Gizmodo]
Kevin Purdy113131699445934165131435149109287841946715835440548890645348165116347027926162931686792557985843623109098942182171249632157623448673736514040635351784743351952613949945115150848372151237634645152203081096018521908378939800187442270452100444063536283944449504770799239977288455602300889468897582261859028146323655181753671308896340797045763216413046933040593892149927172222895332560700947394476671499400168854857650101339
Spawn Labs starts shipping HD-720, your video games now ready to be slung
[Thanks, Ryan]
Spawn Labs starts shipping HD-720, your video games now ready to be slung originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 11:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Spawn Labs | Email this | CommentsDarren Murph13464076067335111270021042267441514060751435149109287841946709803098588727110477098428889904668650250018586549222281539817964388865746171091132097804536645166330402953229605308915717052800745285913339069475075052285275710230882796045969471714426011460828476502035146824432480229070129170278620567419011690012832099921234137840954013836653570180450621448874218207372186903689988905145473670512966420510215433761272499435910219456665617116596087903663325632229351338506993443781486905746603352563302466077895800791940478040564102026860081533614670206236440928994067087472701716380280627379999426826198302012015768971302192118676521385151603931455885704085407423411583516176986457888126172739179978437591436290419707332110111349813561871323128

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