Gary Killops

Disney is taking a big leap into social network games. They have purchased social network game developer Playdom for 563.2 million dollars, with an additional performance-linked earn-out of $200 million. Disney has been working hard to expand their digital content library, and purchasing Playdom will allow them to do just that.

You may know Playdom as the developer of the hit Myspace game, Mobsters. Mobsters, along with the rest of Playdom’s product catalog will now be owned by Disney as a part of this deal. Disney has acquired a large catalog of social network games, as Playdom has been buying up smaller developers over the course of the past year. Playdom is currently the number one social game developer on Myspace, and the number four developer on Facebook.

This deal represents a significant pay out for all of Playdom’s investors. Their investors have spent just $73 million on the company so far, which makes the total possible price paid by Disney over ten times the amount that investors have spent on Playdom so far.

Disney is expected to begin releasing games for social networks featuring their beloved characters. No official word has been given on what titles to expect, or which characters will be included in them, but it’s probably a safe bet that Disney will be releasing games to coincide with all of their major movie releases over the course of the next few years. It would definitely be interesting to see a Tron light cycle game hit Facebook alongside the release of Tron Legacy.

Disney has long been one of the pillars of the entertainment industry. With their recent move into the digital content space, Disney has only strengthened their position as an industry leader. By providing social networking users with Disney branded games, Disney will be able to strengthen their brand, and generate a great deal of hype for their products, as well as their upcoming films. It will be interesting to see exactly what sort of games Playdom will be producing for Disney as time goes on. It’ll also be interesting to see how other film studios and entertainment companies react to this news. It’s only a matter of time before more studios start diving into social network gaming.

It is speculated that events such as BP’s Gulf Oil Spill and many other events similar to this such as the Niger Delta oil spill, which has been draining for 50 years, is making people more conscious about the depletion of oil and other natural resources.  This is leading to an increased interest in hybrid vehicles and electric cars around the world.  The increase in interest is speculated to lead in sales of the vehicles due to the risks of the oil supply and security of prices remaining lower.

Reports of fuel prices heading up throughout the United States are also causing a panic with the mass amount of consumers of the oil industry.  Just after the recovery from the highest prices in the last decade, fuel costs have been on the rise substantially, especially during the late spring to early summer. This makes travel and vacation time less likely which brings down the economy throughout the United States which in effect increases the prices of necessities such as oil.  Since there are many great options already developed in terms of Hybrid and electric cars, the sales of these vehicles are expected to go up within the next 5 years.

The best options available in electric vehicles are able to get around 250 miles per charge.  Hybrid vehicles are able to get around 600 miles per fuel up and this makes them much more feasible to use than a heavy sport utility truck which struggles to get mileage in the double digits per gallon.  Newer technologies such as hydrogen powered vehicles are still in development and in the next decade may provide even better mileage at an even more affordable cost than related energy efficient technologies that currently exist.

AT&T has released an apology to iPad users that were affected by the recent security breach in their system. They also have stated that the company intends on contacting all the iPad users who could have potentially been affected by this attack on their system. The FBI is currently investigating the event with AT&T’s full cooperation in an effort to find the hackers responsible for taking advantage of the hole in AT&T’s security system, and bring them to justice quickly.

Even with AT&T’s apology and assurances that they have fixed their security issues, plenty of iPad users are understandably furious at AT&T’s apparent lack of adequate security measures. The company is convinced that the only information that the hackers could have gained would be email addresses of the various users. Experts in this industry claim that this is more than enough information to cause serious harm for these users. It’s often possible that, with access to someone’s email account, a clever hacker can gain access to other information about that person.

The group responsible for this attack on AT&T’s security took advantage of customers that signed up for their 3G services. This hacker group, named Goatse Security, has been involved in other such security breaches with different Internet browsers in the past. Goatse Security was able to harvest approximately 114,000 different email addresses from various iPad users by exploiting a hole in the AT&T website.

The iPad users that have been affected by this security breach are notable individuals in both the public business world and in the United States military. These were the early-adopters of the iPad who subscribed to the 3G AT&T coverage as soon as the iPad 3G was released back on May 7th. Noteworthy individuals working in politics, media and the financial industry have all had their information exposed.

The FBI is taking this breach very seriously and is looking into all aspects of this event, including the potential national security breach that could come from the release the emails for various high-ranking military personnel. There has not been any information released relating to any attacks on the various email addresses that were harvested as a result of this breach., but the possible ramifications of the email addresses of high-ranking military officials falling into the wrong hands is cause for concern. The FBI is out to stop those responsible before any real harm can come out of their use of the stolen email addresses.

Box.net was created in 2005 as a college project and publically launched in 2006. Their business plan allows you to store, share, and manage all of your business content in a single area to streamline your business operations. They managed to create an easy way to securely share content on the Internet with coworkers and clients anywhere in the world.. Their services are great for small companies without telecommunications networks since you can create an online workspace that allows for full-featured collaboration. Companies can upload files that they need to share and add comments or start discussions about the content they have uploaded. This allows for quick and efficient collaborative efforts on projects of all sizes.

Recently, Box.net stated that they would be starting a desktop client that would automatically allow users to sync their information. The main goal of this system is to reduce the time and effort it takes users to pick and choose what they want to upload. By selecting certain folders to automatically sync, users no longer have to worry about the hassle of finding the individual files they want to upload.

The company is still offering the same top notch services as before, and the sync function allows for increased speed and usability. After working on a file that is selected to be automatically synced, the user just has to hit save and it is immediately updated in their workspace on Box.net. Users of the Box service can decide if they want to be notified each time sync occurs and something is updated. Receiving notifications every time a change is made helps to avoid confusion over who the last person to work on the file was. It can also help management to keep track of whether or not a project is on schedule.

Users of the Box.net service can download the syncing application and easily get started setting up their preferences. Currently the app is only available for Windows users but Box.net promises that Mac and Linux versions are in the works and will be released in the near future. This new feature is expected to help Box.net compete with other syncing services like SugarSync as well as its main competition, Microsoft SharePoint. With five years of experience, Box.net knows what their customers want and need, and the new syncing software will help them meet those needs, and keep their customers happy for years to come.

Yelp, a fully user-generated review site has recently announced a partnership with a website called OpenTable, which provides restaurant reservations services. This will allow Yelp users to reserve tables at many different restaurants straight from the site. 29% of the current businesses that have been reviews on Yelp are restaurants, and according to Yelps director of communications, Stephanie Ichinose, users had been asking for this integration of services for some time now. This joining of forces seems to be more in response to the recent release of UrbanSpoon’s iPhone App, called Urbanspoon Rezbook, which allowed reservations to be made, though, rather than user demand.

The deal does not require Yelp users to create an account on OpenTable if they don’t already have one. Users will be able to participate in OpenTable’s Dining Reward Points. Reserving a table at a restaurant normally gives a user 100 points, which is just arbitrary money, which can then be saved up. Once a user reached 20,000 they will be able to redeem them for a $20 dining check. These checks will be redeemable at 11,000 restaurants across North America, and will be going international sometime after. Yelp and OpenTable have not set a date for the international release of the combination of services, though, as it is assumed that they are waiting to see how things go for them in North America before expanding to the rest of the world.

Reportedly, Yelp has over 11 thousand reviews, and received 32 million unique views in the month of May alone. With this kind of traffic, plus the extra traffic possible coming with the added features available, it seems that his combo will be quite a hit. We will have to wait and see, though, if it does better than UrbanSpoon.

T-Mobile has officially transformed the myTouch brand into a franchise with its new phone, the myTouch 3G Slide. The first thing you notice with this phone is the carrier specific, custom skin that is built right onto HTC’s Sense GUI for the Android OS (Operating System). The phone comes shipped in a hard plastic shell that has foam with cutouts that neatly fits the phone and all of the accessories that it comes with. This includes: headphones, a charger, and the manuals. The best part is that once you take the phone out of the neat little packaging, it looks way better than the pictures make it, so that’s a nice little surprise.

The screen on the phone is plenty bright, without being over the top, and helps keep everything easily visible. The four-row keyboard design is great, despite the fact that it rubs on the back of the screen when sliding. Obviously, this isn’t a problem, or they would have done something about it before releasing this successor to the G1. All of the important keys are there, and you don’t even need to press shift or alt to get most of the normally used characters such as “@”, which you will use more than most phone makers think apparently, because they make it only usable after pressing alt or shift. The headphone jack and the power button are on the top, while a volume rocker sits on the left, a micro-USB port appears on the bottom and on the right side, you have your camera button, which, in two presses will take a focused shot with the 5 megapixel camera. Unfortunately, the 5 megapixels do nothing for the image quality, as it is literally impossible to get a clear picture that is free from noise or splotches. The noise quality fairs better, with the speaker clearly audible even when the phone placed down (as it is on the backside).

Overall, the myTouch 3G Slide is a well-designed phone with only one major flaw residing in the rubbing when sliding. Other than that T-Mobile has done a great job providing a new feel to HTC’s Sense, which we all already know works so well on the Android Operating System. Looking down the road, we might actually see many carriers following T-Mobile’s suit for a change, and offering carrier customized GUIs built on top of Sense for their Android phones.

This exciting new idea from Google means that you can customize your homepage to exactly what you want to see each time you use their search engine. They have provided a gallery with pictures you can choose from or you can select a favorite picture that you already have.

It is a really simple process to set up the image you want to see each time you visit Google. Simply head to Google.com and in the bottom left hand corner there is a link that says, “Change background image.” From here you can select a couple of different options to find the perfect image for you.

The “From my computer” and “My Picasa Web photos” options let you select images that you either have on your computer or have already uploaded to My Picasa Web photos. After certifying that you are licensed to use the image you selected, simply hit upload and the image will appear as your new Google background.

At the moment there does not seem to be a way to edit how the image appears when you open Google. The image you select will be stretched to cover the entire background of the site. Future versions may make it possible to center a photo or decide where you want it on the background, but for now, you’ll have to take whatever stretched version of the image Google gives you.

If you do not want to use your own image you can pick from the public gallery. Google has collaborated with partners like National Geographic and various other photography artists to provide a wide array of images to choose from. This great selection means that you can continuously update your Google homepage with various stunning pictures from around the world. Between all of the choices Google has to offer, and all of the pictures in your own library, you should have no problem picking an image that suits you.

Some die-hard fans are appalled by this new addition to the Google homepage. The simple white page with the clean search engine box has become something of an icon to our generation. There has been a significant amount of backlash to this idea from various twitter and blog postings about the new concept. Those unhappy with the decision to add backgrounds have the option to leave the Google home page in its pristine, plain white condition.

Gary Killops

AT&T has recently released their new cell phone plan pricing scheme that will go into effect on June 7th of 2010. For $15 every month, subscribers will be able to get 200 megabytes (MB) of data. They will also be able to purchase an extra 200 MB if they go over, but never will any unused data carry over to the next month. So if you only need to use 205 MB in a month, and already paid for just the 200 MB plan, it will still cost you $30 that month, and you won’t get to use the other 195 MB that you paid for. You will be automatically charged, for the extra $15 for every time you go over the 200 MB you paid for, too. So if you use over 400 MB, that month’s data will cost you $45. You will have to closely monitor your usage, to make sure this doesn’t accidentally happen if you are on a budget. These overage charges are said to only even possibly effect 3% of AT&Ts customers, and these are mainly business people who use their iPhones and iPads as modems to connect wirelessly to the internet with their computers anywhere. This tethering option certainly is useful, but of course uses a lot more data than usual users are accustomed to.

This new pricing scheme won’t go into effect for current customers who have already paid for their contracts. Meaning if you have an iPhone with a plan for $30 per month for unlimited data, you will still be paying that until your subscription runs out. After that, though, you will have to go with the new pricing. You may elect to switch over to the new pricing straight away, though.

The average smart phone user uses less than 200MB per month, so your best bet is to start off with the smaller plan, and when you see you are about to go over, you can upgrade to the bigger plan online without resetting your contract. This is one of AT&T’s new features to help customers actually not waste their money, which seems like a great step in the right direction in terms of customer service for them. It seems odd that many people would be angry at new pricing and features that will actually help them in the long run. It’s understandable that change takes a while to get used to, and there is no more unlimited plan, but a majority of people need to actually take stock of how much data they are using on their unlimited plan and realize that the new lower data feature will save them money.

Back in the day, digital cameras used to cost quite a pretty penny. Actually, digital cameras were more of a professional tool than a casual luxury. Today, however, things are a lot different. Gone are the days where you have to dump $600 just to get your hands on a digital camera that is high quality. Now, you can actually get a digital SLR camera for just about that same amount of money! However, as more and more of these lower priced cameras enter the market, one can find it hard to figure out which ones are worth the money. Not all cameras are equal, so which ones give you the most bang for your buck? Well, this is a good question, so here are three that you can count on to deliver great digital media for less money.

First, there is the Nikon D3000. This camera features an 18mm-55mm lens, and is priced to sell anywhere from $496 to $550, depending on which accessories you buy and what options you choose. Professionals will find this camera basic, but they will also find that, for the money, this is a camera that delivers high quality digital SLR media for less money. This camera weighs about 17 oz., and it sports a resolution of 10,200,000 pixels. With both manual and automatic focusing available, this camera is suited for beginners or advanced level photographers.

Next, we will talk about the Canon Rebel XS. This camera features an 18-55mm lens, and ships for around $500. But for a digital SLR camera, the features it delivers far outweigh the cost. While this camera is still on the entry-level side, it’s photo quality will amaze even professionals. If you are looking to get into a digital SLR camera that you can pick up and shoot with, then this is one for you to look at. It weighs less than 16 oz., has a resolution of 10,100,000 pixels, and boasts both automatic and manual focusing.

And finally, the Sony Alpha DSLR-A230. This camera comes with an 18-55mm lens, weighs about 16 oz., shoots with a resolution of 10,200,000 pixels, and has both manual and automatic focusing. This camera is a solid choice for the beginner who wants a camera that they can grow into. This camera has a faithful following, and offers a great deal at around $400 as compared to it’s bigger, higher priced sibling the A330.

We have all heard stories like this before, but this one is a bit different. For one, it involves the famous Google Maps service on the Internet. Two, it deals with this service and how it is applied to devices such as the Blackberry. And three, it asks one very simple, yet seemingly complex question at what point does common sense kick in and negate technological devices, especially when they are telling you where to walk? That is exactly what everyone is asking about this case.

So, to start at the beginning, Lauren Rosenberg decided that she would get some exercise and take a walk in the town of Park City, Utah. This took place in January of 2009. Now, when faced with the task of finding an appropriate walking path, she decided, as so many do when they are unsure of where to go, to consult Google maps. Using her Blackberry, she searched for the best path between 96 Daly Street, and her destination 1710 Prospector Avenue. Google Maps gave her a walking path, and part of that path involved following a road called Deer Valley Drive.

Now, as stated in courtroom papers filed by Rosenberg’s lawyers, this highway is apparently unsafe to walk on. There are no sidewalks, and motor vehicles travel on that highway at pretty high speeds. Needless to say, this was not a very safe place to walk. Rosenberg must have noticed this before she turned onto the roadbut alas, her Blackberry and Google Map pathway seemed to take priority over her common sense, and she continued anyway.

During her stroll down this road, she was struck by a vehicle driven by Patrick Harwood. Now, Lauren Rosenberg is not only suing Harwood over the incident, but also Google. She claims that Google sent her on an unsafe walking path, and that they should take responsibility for leading her to her fate of being hit by a motor-vehicle.

I am not sure if anyone asked her if she plans on suing her common sense, but I guess that this has nothing to do with the incident. Legalistically speaking, Google Maps has a caution banner displayed on this walking route that advises it is only a beta. However, if you view Google Maps on your mobile, this caution sign apparently does not show up. So, does Rosenberg have grounds for a lawsuit? Well, Google told her to walk the path but is it really up to them to know exactly which streets are safe for walking? Aren’t they just supposed to give directions? This, I suppose, will be for the courts to decide.

Gary Killops