Facebook Mobile Event Nov 3: Will We See a Secret Facebook Phone?

Facebook has sent out an invitation to the media for a “mobile event” at its Palo Alto, California headquarters on Wednesday November 3. Could this be the unveiling of the much-speculated about Facebook phone?

You may recall that technology blog TechCrunch reported last month that Facebook was secretly developing a special smartphone.

Facebook then issued a carefully-worded response that said the company was not “building” a phone, but that it had projects focused on “deeper integrations with some manufacturers.”

The response was reminiscent of the tack taken by Google last year when rumors were rampant that it was about to release a smartphone. In January, of course, Google began to sell the Nexus One phone, which it developed alongside handset vendor HTC, on its website.

The Facebook invite provides no details whatsoever other than to say that the event begins at 10:30 am on November 3 and will be followed by lunch.

But the invitation sports an image of two shaded figures alongside what appears to be the old string-and-Dixie-cup phones that kids in treehouses have long used to communicate. One hopes the actual Facebook phone, if there is one, is slightly more high-tech.

Facebook suspends developers for selling user ID numbers

Company says it has 'zero tolerance' for data brokers

Facebook said that a “data broker” had paid Facebook app developers for user identification numbers and that as a result the company had suspended a number of developers.

Given that the user identification numbers (UIDs) were not considered to be private and that merely knowing a UID does not bestow anyone the ability to access private data, the hard line taken by the social networking behemoth is as much a statement of intent to tackle the firm’s tarnished reputation when it comes to privacy concerns.

Facebook representative Mike Vernal wrote on the Facebook Developer Blog: “Facebook has never sold and will never sell user information. We also have zero tolerance for data brokers because they undermine the value that users have come to expect from Facebook.”

“To restate our policy, developers may not pass any data from Facebook to data brokers, and we are now including anonymous identifiers in this protected category of Facebook data.”

Facebook said that it was imposing a six month ban on access to Facebook development features for the group found to have sold UIDs to data brokers. Less than 12 developers were involved which Facebook described as “mostly small developers”, saying that none of them had produced applications in the top 10 list.

Apple releases iOS 4.2 to developers

Apple is promising to deliver the latest iOS upgrade, version 4.2, to the public sometime in November.

Apple has reportedly delivered the final test version of iOS 4.2 to developers, meaning that it could be hitting iPhones, iPod Touches and iPads any day now.

It looks like the upgrade will be most noticeable among iPad users, as several features already found on the iPhone will now become available for Apple’s tablet computer. With the new iOS installed, the iPad will be capable of multitasking in the same way the iPhone currently is, which permits users to run certain apps in the background while running another app simultaneously. Other iPad features include support for organizing apps into folders and the addition of Apple’s Game Center. The upgrade will also come with AirPlay, allowing iPad users to synch with the Apple TV to stream music, video, and photos. The upgrade will also reportedly provide for brightness controls as well as for the ability to adjust volume while multitasking.

There’s no word on what bug issues will be addressed with the upgrade. However, it is widely hoped that Apple will, at the very least, include fixes for a security flaw found in the iPhone’s passcode system and an alarm clock glitch that recently caused instances of tardiness in Europe (we recommend that American iPhone users consider setting a back up alarm clock following this weekend’s daylight saving time adjustment, just in case.) Both issues are found in the current version of iOS. Whatever the latest iOS ends up looking like, it appears that those interested in jailbreaking their device won’t have to wait this time around; several sites are reporting that current jailbreaking techniques will work just fine with iOS 4.2.

Twitter to Include Ads in Your Stream of Tweets

Advertising is inescapable on the Web today and the last place users want to see ads is on the sites they visit for recreation. Wouldn’t it be nice if members of social-networking sites could log onto their Facebook or Twitter page without the hassle of having to sift through ads? Unfortunately, with the amount of time users spend on their favorite social-networking platform, it only makes sense to increase the number of advertisements we are subjected to.

Facebook (News - Alert) recently began implementing ads into member’s newsfeeds and now its Twitter’s turn. However, Twitter is easing into in-stream advertising slowly, as the concept is still a work in progress.

According to a Yahoo News article, Twitter will begin testing Promoted Tweets within one of its partners, HootSuite. Twitter will be experimenting with how and when to place the ads, hopefully to be as unobtrusive to the microblogging companies loyal users as possible.

Twitter’s objective is to make sure that the ads you see in your stream are related to your interests, so the Promoted Tweets won’t be completely random.

“During this testing period with HootSuite, we will experiment with where and when Promoted Tweets are shown in the timeline. Not all HootSuite users will see Promoted Tweets and those who do may see different Promoted Tweets in different places in their timeline,” Twitter mentioned in a post when announcing the in-stream roll out.

Twitter explained that they will only display Promoted Tweets in the timeline when they are relevant by using signals to determine a Promoted Tweet’s relevance to a user such as the public list of who a member follows.

Since the in-stream ads have yet to go into effect, there’s no telling how users will react. However, the majority of Internet users are already opposed to ads polluting their online content, so chances are implementing more ads into their tweets won’t go over too well. But keep in mind, Twitter isn’t necessarily the most profitable social-networking platform and needs to generate more revenue somehow.

Android sweeps Apple, BlackBerry in U.S. smart phone market

There is more bad news for BlackBerry maker Research In Motion (RIM) as its smart phone sales have slipped to the third position in the U.S. market.

According to the latest data by the NPD Group, the U.S.-based smart phone market tracking company, the BlackBerry’s share of the US market in the third quarter fell to 22 per cent from 28 per cent in the second quarter.

On the other hand, the sales of Apple’s devices rose marginally to 23 per cent from 22 per cent in the second quarter, pushing the BlackBerry maker to the third spot in the U.S. smart phone market.

The steep fall in sales of the BlackBerry maker, which until recently dominated the US market, came despite the high-profile launch of the BlackBerry Torch 9800 in August.

But it was not Apple, but the surge in the popularity of Google’s Android operating system (OS) which did the most damage to RIM in the US market.

The sales of Google Android devices jumped as much as 11 per cent from the second quarter to account for 44 per cent of all smart phones purchased in the third quarter.

“Much of Android’s quarterly share growth came at the expense of RIM, rather than Apple,” Ross Rubin, executive director of industry analysis at the NPD Group, said.

“The HTC EVO 4G, Motorola Droid X, and other new high-end Android devices have been gaining momentum at carriers that traditionally have been strong RIM distributors, and the recent introduction of the BlackBerry Torch has done little to stem the tide,” he said.

According to the data, Android’s operating system has made such an impact on the market that the share of RIM OS has declined by 53 per cent, and that of Apple iOS has fallen by 21 per cent since 2009.

Because of this onslaught from Android OS, “Apple faces challenges in further expanding its domestic market share, while still retaining exclusivity,” said Rubin.

Just two weeks ago, Apple CEO Steve JObs had taunted RIM, saying,”we have now passed RIM, and I don’t see them catching up with us in the foreseeable feature.”

But it is Android OS that is becoming the major worry for him and BlackBerry bosses.

Google sues US in software battle

Google is suing the US government, saying it was unfairly excluded from a $58m deal to revamp e-mail systems at the Department of the Interior.

In a lawsuit filed with the US Court of Federal Claims, Google says the terms of the five-year contract rule out its products and favour rival Microsoft.

The search giant wants to offer its Google Apps software for the contract.

But Google says it was told that only Microsoft's business software could be used - a move it called "arbitrary".

The Department of the Interior, which employs about 88,000 people, declined to comment on Google's legal action.

Security fears

Google says in its lawsuit that it was told there would be "full and open competition" for the contract, but that the bid specified that only the Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite-Federal could be used.

This is a special version of Microsoft's suite of business tools that was designed for the US federal government.

Google has its own special version of its software designed to address government security concerns, Google Apps for Government.

However, the firm says it was told its product did not comply with the department's security requirements.

Google says the decision was "arbitrary and capricious", as well as being "unduly restrictive of competition" and against US law.

It calls for an open contracting process, which it says "could save US taxpayers tens of millions of dollars and result in better services".

Skyfire Brings Flash Video to iPhone

Skyfire, which is already available for Android OS smartphones, is coming to the iPhone on Thursday and bringing with it the ability to play Flash video content. Apple doesn’t support Flash content on its iOS devices, which will make Skyfire a welcome addition for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users that need to play Flash-based video on their handheld devices.

Instead of displaying Flash videos on iOS devices, Skyfre intercepts and converts them to HTML 5, then streams them to back out to users. The process works around the inability to play Flash content natively on iOS devices, and it took about two months of work with Apple to get Skyfire approved for distribution through the App Store, according to CNN.

Skyfire users hoping to work around Hulu’s paid-only model for viewing shows on mobile devices, however, are in for a disappointment. Hulu is actively blocking Skyfire from downloading and converting shows, which means users will still have to pay a monthly subscription fee to watch content on the go.

Skyfire will be available on Thursday, November 5, for US$2.99 and is available at Apple’s iTunes-based App Store.

Oracle to buy retail software company ATG

Oracle Corp said on Tuesday it will buy Art Technology Group Inc for $1 billion, to bolster its e-commerce software applications.

Oracle's $6-per-share bid represents a 46 percent premium over ATG's close of $4.10 on Nasdaq. ATG shares were trading at $5.99 in early Nasdaq trading.

The acquisition, which is expected to close early next year, is the latest in a wave of dealmaking by a major technology company to diversify product portfolios -- from computing, security, storage and networking to online videoconferencing and e-commerce.

"It's a nice, safe acquisition for Oracle," said Jeff Gaggin, an Avian Securities analyst, adding that the deal will expand Oracle's retail software portfolio, which includes Retek, a retail software company it acquired in 2005.

More than 1,000 companies use ATG software to help with online customer transactions on mobile devices and in stores.

ATG creates software for customers to buy items online. Its customers include Best Buy Co Inc, AT&T and Vodafone Group Plc. It competes with Amazon.com and GSI Commerce.

ATG, which is based in Cambridge Massachusetts, had sales of $50.3 million in the third quarter of 2010, up 16 percent from $43.4 million a year earlier.

Avian Securities' Gaggin called ATG a "moderate grower" and said it was reasonable for Oracle to pay a 46 percent premium on its shares.

Oracle is in a California court on Tuesday seeking some $2 billion in damages from rival SAP AG on accusations that SAP stole its software.

Oracle shares were up 23 cents at $29.38 in Nasdaq morning trade.

(Reporting by Liana B. Baker; additional reporting by Swati Chitnis in Bangalore; Editing by Derek Caney)

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