Google Saves The World
September 26, 2008
Google is turning 10 years old (remember when it was just a cute little search engine) and wants to celebrate by saving the world. Google as a search engine or advertising company makes sense - but Google as super hero? 
To mark the 10th birthday of the Internet giant, they are launching Project 10 to the 100, which asks the question “What would help most.” That’s it. No ideas on what sort of “Help” or whom or what it should “Help.” Google will throw 10 million dollars behind the winners to make the dreams a reality.
CNN has been tapped to follow the project and will include profiles of ideas and the people who submit them from around the world.
When it was launched, Google had a motto, “Do no evil.” In the years since, they seem to have taken that idea beyond simply not harming anyone to actually trying to help everyone. At least, that’s the way they’d like us to think of it. But when a company gets as big and powerful as Google, motives naturally become suspect. Still, at the fear of being labeled part of the ‘axis of evil’, we’ll go on record and admit that we like this campaign.
Cell Phone Cancer Hearings
September 25, 2008
Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Chairman of the Domestic Policy Subcommittee of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, today announced a hearing examining the link between tumors and cell phone use.
While it is certain that both sides of the issue will be heard, it is very unlikely that any action will be taken in regard to the potential hazards of cell phones at this time.
Cell phone use has grown exponentially, as has the science on the connection between usage and human health effects. The hearing will explore the evidence of links between cell phone use and health problems such as tumors.
The following people will be called upon as witnesses: Mrs. Ellie Marks, Mr. Julius Knapp (Director at the FCC), Dr. David O. Carpenter (Director of Institute for Health and the Environment), Dr. Ronald B. Herberman (Director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute), and Dr. Robert N. Hoover (Director of Epidemiology and Biostatistics Program at the National Cancer Institute).
Mobile device usage is on the rise. Government intrest in the health and safety of the public in regard to these devices is likely to continue as officials struggle to keep up with changing technologies and potential risks to the public.
Robots and Apples Destroy Carrier Gardens
September 24, 2008
The new Google Android based phones are just about to arrive, and a viral fever of information and rumors are starting to spread like the plague. Will the new phones kill the iPhone? What features will the Google phones have? Will the phones be locked to T-Mobile or will other carriers and device
manufacturers have a chance to build Android phones? Well, the rumors will soon be put to rest. But this is only the beginning of a much bigger story: how the iPhone and gPhones mark a significant shift in the way wireless carriers operate today and what they will be able to support and offer in the future.
While some remain fixated on whether the new T-Mobile Android phone is an “iPhone Killer,” I’m transfixed by how both devices are killing the old telecom model and replacing it with something much more dynamic and innovative. The new Android phones won’t kill Apple, nor will the iPhone kill the drive to build newer and more creative devices. But they are both forever changing the way we all view mobile devices and what we use them for. And they are both essentially killing the notion of the wireless carriers as “Phone” companies.
Putting the over hyped war between the iPhone and Android aside, both devices meld applications, the Internet, and new technology to make wireless data instantly available to users in an intuitive and less complicated way that previously phones were capable of. This is an advance for the industry and will enable carriers to significantly grow their wireless data revenues. The phones also bypass the carriers and allow the user to buy content, music, and applications of all sorts from stores not owned by the carriers. No longer will the phone company control which web sites are supported, which applications can be downloaded, and what features a phone should have. Apple and Google are pushing for a fundamental shift in what the device manufacturers and the carriers are responsible for and what the users are able to do with their phones. Read more
Skype Earns Our Adoration
September 16, 2008
Skype Communications lashes out against the closed network policies of the nation’s wireless carriers and earns our respect. In an open letter to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Skype’s Senior Director of Government and Regulatory Affairs, Christopher Libertelli, 
laid out 7 key reasons why government officials should continue to press the Wireless Industry to adopt polices which “serves the interests of consumers, carriers and innovative providers of wireless devices and software applications.”
Mr. Libertelli was responding to a perception that the Wireless carriers are simply giving lip service to open networks but continuing to keep their networks walled off to most external development.
“When lip service to the goals of open networks is translated into their terms of service, they continue to require their subscribers to limit the applications and devices that can be used on their networks. The attitude of the wireless carriers was perhaps best summed up in Sprint Nextel Corp. CEO Dan Hesse’s recent comment: “The big Internet can be daunting …. There can be too much choice.”
Carrier Text Rates Highway Robbery
September 10, 2008
In search of the perfect scheme to milk profits out of thin air and get away with it? Become a cellular carrier!
You’ve no doubt noticed the swarms of young people who seem to be typing away endlessly on their phones these days - their eyes rarely bothering to make contact with another human being. Out of touch? Hardly. The text messaging craze was born out of the innate need of young people to be as social as possible. And while it is often impossible to carry on a never ending phone conversation during work or school, it is all too easy to do so while text messaging. Gone are the days of teens talking loudly on their phones in public places and school – today they can confidentially text away for hours on end without anyone noticing.
But texting isn’t just for the young, it is also beginning to gain favor with those in older age groups as well. Particularly as a way for parents and their children to stay in touch. And as these plugged in parents begin to text their friends, they are introducing text to a whole new generation of users.
Texting is a true viral phenomenon. If you receive a text message, you feel compelled to respond and thus become indoctrinated to the practice. Receive enough texts to become comfortable with it, and you may become a regular texter yourself. This has fueled an exponential growth in texting for all of the carriers, for whom texting has been a windfall of profit - mostly because the cost of a text message is miniscule compared to what they are able to charge for it.
The Qwest To End Short Calls
September 5, 2008
Call Centers beware. Customers and resellers of Qwest Communications have been receiving notices warning them about major changes regarding how the carrier handles short duration calls. The new policy 
punishes customers who have too many calls under 6 second duration or less with high penalties.
At first blush, it doesn’t seem like a very onerous change by Qwest. However, this is a bigger issue than what it may seem at first glance and will likely impact many customers. Perhaps even forcing some customers out of business or at least off of the Qwest network (if they can find another carrier to handle their calls).
The customers most impacted will be those who do outbound telemarketing or any high volume outbound calling. Most automated dialers will hang up as soon an answering machine is detected, thus ensuring too many calls less than 6 seconds. Many dialers also continue to call a line repeatedly, even if the number is disconnected, the line is busy, or the customer does not answer. This is also likely to upset Qwest.
Imagine the number of times every day that you reach someone’s voice mail. If you hang up, rather than leaving a message, one time too many, you too could run afoul of Qwest’s new policy. As a result, customers who are at risk of violating Qwest’s policy changes will need to change the way they dial. Which in turn will raise the cost per call for those customers?
Google Chrome Browser Why Now?
September 3, 2008
Like any good tech nerd, I waited by the computer until Google’s new browser was ready for download yesterday. The new Google Chrome browser is solid and lightening fast. When you open tabs, thumbnails of your most viewed sites appear on the page, making it easier for you to navigate the the sites you frequent the most. The URL bar is also a search window allowing you
to enter any search term or URL, a handy little feature. Overall, I found the browser to be easy to use and figure out. But it really isn’t much different than what I already have with my Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari browsers.
- Photo Courtesy Google
Why would Google pick now to launch a new browser when so many others are gaining market share from Microsoft? The official word is:
“Since we spend so much time online, we began seriously thinking about what kind of browser could exist if you started from scratch and built on the best elements out there. We realized that the web had evolved from mainly simple text pages to rich, interactive applications and that we needed to completely rethink the browser. What we really needed was not just a browser, but also a modern platform for web pages and applications, and that’s what we set out to build.”
Verizon Rides The Rails
September 2, 2008
Verizon has announced cellular service in Chicago’s subway tunnels. Verizon will lease the cellular communications grid of the Chicago Transit Authority at a cost of about $28,000 per month to deliver the service to its customers.
For commuters who would like to carry on with their conversations or surf the data network while on the trains, this is a huge advance and will likely make Verizon a top choice in Chicago. U.S. Cellular began offering the same service in 2006.
With the advance of Femtocells and micro cellular sites, more carriers should look into offering continuing coverage in tunnels, garages, and subways nationwide. As an increasing number of users go wireless with Smartphones, Data Cards, and become permanently linked to their mobile device, the carriers need to expand coverage to more areas that their customers Frequent.
Kudos to Verizon for reaching new highs in low places!
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