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)

TechnologyDealsInflows Outflows

Shuttle launch delayed by leak repairs

The shuttle Discovery, showing the location of an access panel where leaking quick-disconnect fittings had to be replaced, delaying launch on a space station resupply flight from Monday to Wednesday.(Credit: NASA)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla.--NASA managers decided Saturday to delay the shuttle Discovery's launch an additional day to Wednesday to give engineers enough time to complete replacement and retest of leaky quick-disconnect fittings in the ship's right-side orbital maneuvering system rocket pod.

If all goes well, Discovery's countdown will begin at 2 p.m. EDT Sunday, setting up a launch attempt at 3:52:13 p.m. Wednesday, roughly the moment Earth's rotation carries launch pad 39A into the plane of the space station's orbit. The forecast calls for a 70 percent chance of acceptable weather Wednesday and Thursday, improving to 80 percent "go" on Friday.


NASA Test Director Jeffrey Spaulding said engineers are "really confident" they can finish the work in time to start the countdown Sunday.

"The team has done an excellent job overnight, it's been a lot of hard work," he said. "I think they've done a great job and I look forward to getting the call to stations tomorrow" to start the countdown.

The primary goals of Discovery's 39th and final mission are to deliver a loaded cargo storage module to the International Space Station, along with a spare set of cooling system radiators that will be mounted on the lab's main power truss.

Assuming an on-time launch, Discovery would dock with the space station at 12:36 p.m. Friday. Two spacewalks are planned, on Nov. 7 and 9, with undocking on tap Nov. 12 at 5:02 a.m. and landing back at the Kennedy Space Center at 9:59 a.m. Nov. 14.

Launch had been targeted for Monday, but engineers ran into problems overnight Thursday with leaking nitrogen and helium quick-disconnect couplings used by Discovery's right-side OMS pod. The nitrogen gas is used to open and close a variety of valves, while the helium is used to pressurize propellant tanks in the rocket pod.

Engineers decided early Friday to replace the fittings, delaying the start of Discovery's countdown to Saturday and pushing launch from Monday to Tuesday.

The repair work required engineers to vent high-pressure helium tanks in the OMS pod before swapping out the couplings. The replacement work was completed early Saturday and engineers began a series of leak tests to make sure the new fittings were tight before repressurizing the helium system.

Because the tanks were fully vented for the repair work, engineers had to first carry out an intermediate repressurization, a process expected to take about six hours to complete, followed by a 16-hour procedure to bring the system up to flight pressure.

To make a Tuesday launch target, NASA had to start Discovery's countdown by 2 p.m. Saturday. But after a management review earlier Saturday, it was clear more time was needed, and the decision was made to push the launch back one more day to Wednesday.

"The plan as we knew it yesterday was to vent down the tank and replace some parts we thought were faulty on an air-half coupling on our right-hand OMS maneuvering system pod and then do some leak checks," Spaulding said. "As we went through the day, we learned there was some additional work we needed to do...from a leak check perspective and some of the venting operations that needed to be done.

"We did remove and replace the air-half coupling and the ground-half coupling that we talked about yesterday, the parts that were faulty, and we've done some initial leak checks on those and also some moisture samples. And all of those came back good."

Spaulding said engineers expect to complete the helium repressurization procedure early Sunday, well before the planned start of the countdown.

The shuttle's current launch period extends through Nov. 7. Spaulding said NASA managers planned to follow normal procedures, making two attempts in a row, if necessary, before standing down a day to give the launch team a chance to rest. Another two launch attempts then would be possible, on Nov. 6 and 7, if necessary.

"Launching on Wednesday, we still have up to and including Sunday, so that gives us...our normal four (launch attempts) in five-day capability we like to preserve," Spaulding said.

The next launch window opens Dec. 1.

MySpace Overhauls Site, Focuses on Entertainment

MySpace on Wednesday unveiled a revamped site with a focus on entertainment and content rather than subscriber-driven profiles, pulling in social elements that are more akin to Twitter and Foursquare than rival Facebook.

MySpace has faced tough competition from Facebook; the News Corp.-owned site has about 100 million users compared to Facebook's 500 million. MySpace acknowledges as much with Wednesday's revamp, saying pointedly that "previously MySpace was people-focused, now the focus is content."

Though personal profiles still exist, MySpace focused much of the upgrade on content distribution – the latest updates on celebrities, bands, TV shows, and movies rather than what your high school lab partner had for breakfast or photos from that weekend BBQ.

There is a focus, however, on presenting real-time data. The new MySpace welcome page will constantly update as the latest news "bubbles up across the beta site," MySpace said. Once a user is signed in to MySpace, the site will display information based on that user's preferences.

A screen shot of the new welcome page (click below to enlarge) shows the number one TV show, artist, song, comedian, and music video across MySpace, while also incorporating emerging artists that users across the site are discovering. News articles ("11 Movies to See This Year") are mixed in with real-time suggestions ("Popular bands people are listening to") and exclusive content.


Users will have the option of three new user homepages: a traditional, list view; a grid view that's organized more like a magazine to highlight content; and a player view, which is a new TV type format focused on video.

The "Right Now" section, meanwhile, will display content that is trending on MySpace in the moment. Users can find recently added music and videos and listen or watch right in the interactive chart. A "Discovery Tab" will also incorporate videos that friends are watching with those that are popular across MySpace. From anywhere on MySpace, scroll to the top and the new Discovery Tab drops down as a horizontal film strip.

Like band or celebrity profiles on MySpace, the site will also introduce "Content Hubs," which are more comprehensive pages dedicated to movies, TV, and celebrities. They will feature information about the topic, as well as trending articles with news, videos, and photos from various content partners. Hubs focused on games, comedy, sports and fashion will be revealed in the coming months.

Content partners include MTV, the Los Angeles Times, Access Hollywood, New York Times, Village Voice, and Just Jared.

MySpace said it will enlist the help of "curators" to serve as the resident experts on certain topics and extend their reach across the site. These curators will be a "subset of [MySpace's] audience whose reputation and knowledge around particular entertainment topics and emerging cultural trends make them uniquely influential," MySpace said.

Like Foursquare, MySpace will introduce a reward system called "Reputation," where users can earn badges for their social activity around entertainment topics that appear in their news stream.

On the profile front, MySpace will include a "My Stuff" section that drops down to display different "drawers" of personal information – profile, photos, videos, and uploaded content. If someone makes someone public, it will become part of the Discovery Tab.

The company promised to release a Web-based mobile version of the revamped sight soon and release an iPhone and Android app later this year.

The new MySpace begins rolling out today in beta and will be available to all users worldwide by the end of November.

Yahoo relaunches Beta with faster Mail and Twitter client

Yahoo on Wednesday released an overhauled version of its Yahoo Mail Beta client that it says is twice as fast as the previous version. The new version also adds features such as an integrated Twitter client, rich-media previews and a more full-featured IM client.

Yahoo says the speed boost should be especially noticeable to users outside the US with latency issues, as the new version makes use of the company's cloud computing technology. This means that if the user has an unreliable connection, the app can adjust its behaviour to keep pages from timing out or becoming unresponsive.

Aside from the speed and performance increase, which Yahoo says were the top requests from users, the company has added a robust Twitter client, which joins the existing social-sharing tools for Facebook and Yahoo. Users can post to Twitter, or to any combination of the other two services, as well as see Twitter status updates in the update stream below. Yahoo has long had a way to incorporate Twitter feeds, but now users can reply and re-tweet without leaving the page.

Latest Facebook privacy scare isn't so new

If you were looking for another reason to hate FarmVille and all those other games on Facebook, today's report by the Wall Street Journal should make you happy:

Many of the most popular applications, or "apps," on the social-networking site Facebook Inc. have been transmitting identifying information -- in effect, providing access to people's names and, in some cases, their friends' names -- to dozens of advertising and Internet tracking companies, a Wall Street Journal investigation has found.

But it's important to know that Facebook has been enabling this kind of open access to user information since its inception and that anyone searching for it doesn't need an app to find it.

The "identifying information" noted in the article -- your Facebook username or profile number -- is already public data in most cases. Unless you disable the "public search" feature that Facebook enables for all over-18 users, anybody can see your name and photo by typing in the right address.

And even if you have opted out of public search, any of the 500 million-plus users on Facebook can see what the Palo Alto, Calif., social network defines as public data: name, picture, gender and networks.

Facebook's adjustable default privacy settings will also let strangers see some of your friends.

(Two things to note involving corporate ties: The Wall Street Journal's owner, News Corp., owns Facebook competitor MySpace. And as you've no doubt memorized by now, Post Co. chairman Donald E. Graham sits on Facebook's board of directors, and the paper uses Facebook to market itself.)

According to posts on Facebook's developers blog and the blog of one Web firm critiqued in the WSJ piece, Rapleaf, the apps in question are gathering information through a standard Web feature called the "referer URL."

Attentive readers will recall that the same mechanism was blamed in a May WSJ story about privacy issues at Facebook and MySpace. Referers aren't a bad thing by themselves; they're a basic feature of Web links that allows sites to know which sites visitors are coming from.

In most cases, a referer (the misspelling has become common practice) doesn't say anything about who you are -- only which sites you've visited. That's not the case with Facebook profiles, as the company acknowledged in May. But sanitizing referers in a way that works in all browsers is not an easy thing -- see this lengthy explanation from the Facebook engineering blog for the grisly details.

It looks like Facebook's engineers forgot to make sure their referer-laundering works for Facebook apps, too. And, as the WSJ story notes, some companies -- such as Rapleaf -- made further use of this information:

The apps reviewed by the Journal were sending Facebook ID numbers to at least 25 advertising and data firms, several of which build profiles of Internet users by tracking their online activities.
To me, this whole episode confirms two general principles to remember when thinking about electronic privacy breaches.

1) Data will leak by accident for a variety of benign reasons: Developers used the same technique that worked before; they assumed all their users kept the default settings; they didn't factor in how older software would behave, and so on.

2) Some companies won't resist the temptation to use data they weren't supposed to see.

What can you do about those two possibilities? Know your privacy options, and use them to limit your visibility. Facebook's defaults are too liberal for my taste and should be tightened, as I recommended in June and followed up with advice about its Places check-in feature in August.

Then be picky about adding applications to your account, and note what information they request of you and what they post to your profile. A revision to Facebook's privacy interface introduced last week makes it easier to see and limit the applications' appetites for your data.

But more important, remember the fundamental bargain of any social network: You're trading some of your information for the ability to communicate easily with friends. As one commentary wisely put it: "If you think that social media exists for charitable reasons, think again."

What's your take on this news? Am I letting Facebook off easy in this case?

Nebula 'Halo' Leaves Scientists Baffled

The cloud combination - or nebula - known as Ira's Ghost has been photographed by the Hubble Telescope with scientists wondering what it is that is lighting it up.

Ira's Ghost was first discovered in 1983 and is a "reflection nebula" which means it is lit up by a light source, rather than an "emission nebula" which is lit up from within.

What is puzzling the scientists is that they do not know where the light source is coming from.

They say they cannot find evidence of an external light source and therefore cannot explain why the nebula is throwing light into space.

Space enthusiasts say there should be a bright star nearby, but that is not the case.

One theory is that it could be a huge star that once travelled through the nebula at just under 125,000 mph.

The image was snapped by the Hubble as part of a "wish list" for the telescope to do when there was spare time.

As a "bonus" discovery, scientists are not too concerned about the origin - they are just delighted to have found something different.

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