Filed under: Google
Google released on Wednesday a new version of the software development kit for its open mobile platform called Android.
The new SDK has a new user interface, a geocoder that lets developers search for businesses as well as translate an address into a coordinate and vice versa, support for new media codecs, and code that lets developers create layout animations.
One thing missing is change to the telephony package, laments one developer on the Android Developer discussion on Google Groups.
“This is very disappointing, especially because we were told in the Android coding day in Israel that the telephony package will be updated soon,” the developer wrote. “We still cannot detect the ingoing/outgoing call number or send DTMF tones properly.” Prototypes of Android phones were shown at the GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Monday. Google launched Android in November along with and the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of 34 handset manufacturers, carriers and chipmakers that have said they plan to support Android products and services. Products are due out later this year.
Here are some screenshots, via the Hello Android blog:
(Credit: Hello Android)
(Credit: Hello Android)
(Credit: Hello Android)(Credit: Hello Android)Filed under: Uncategorized
By Antone Gonsalves
InformationWeek
February 14, 2008 12:51 PM
“I have filed a lawsuit against Best Buy and launched this blog in an effort to bring attention to the reprehensible state of consumer property and privacy protection practices at America’s largest consumer electronics retailer,” Campbell wrote.
Campbell filed the lawsuit in Washington Superior Court Nov. 16 after trying for six months to find out what happened to the notebook she brought back to Best Buy for repairs. During that time, according to Campbell, the computer was stolen from the Best Buy store in the Tenleytown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., the retailer’s employees fabricated records to hide the theft, and lied for weeks about the repair status of the computer.
In addition, Campbell claims Best Buy was indifferent and insulting in its response to her repeated requests for a theft investigation and compensation, and showed a “company-wide disregard for legal obligations to immediately disclose the theft and notify me of potential exposure to identity theft over the course of the ordeal.”
Best Buy has said it has done everything it can to make amends. “We’re obviously embarrassed and disappointed that we were unable to resolve this customer’s issue,” a spokeswoman for the retailer told The Associated Press. “We’ve tried to resolve this dispute and feel badly that it escalated to a lawsuit.”
In her blog, Campbell provides a timeline of her contacts with Best Buy, starting May 25, 2007, when she left the broken notebook at the Tenleytown store for repair under a service contract. On Jan. 25 of this year, a Superior Court judge recommended that she and Best Buy try to settle the matter on their own.
Campbell said she offered to drop the suit, if the company paid her for her expenses and time and addressed “the shortcomings in its property and privacy protection practices.” Best Buy hasn’t responded, according to Campbell, and the next court hearing is set for Feb. 22.
The only compensation Campbell has received from Best Buy is $1,110.35 that was transferred into her credit card account in late October without her consent, the plaintiff said.
Filed under: Microsoft
The announcements were part of a broad management reorganization involving seven new senior vice presidents and seven new corporate vice presidents.
One of the more significant leadership changes was in the cellphone operations. Andy Lees was named senior vice president for mobile communications operations. Mr. Lees, who had overseen the server business, succeeds Pieter Knook, who, the company said, “made the decision to leave Microsoft to pursue other opportunities.”
Microsoft has been paying more attention to its cellphone business following the introduction of Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android software operating system. In only a few months of the iPhone’s release, according to Canalys, a market research firm, Apple gained 28 percent of the smartphone market in the United States, a greater share of the market than the cellphones using Microsoft’s Windows Mobile software. Research In Motion, maker of the BlackBerry, leads the category that has been dominated by phones made for business users.
Microsoft is showing more interest in the consumer market. This week it announced it was buying Danger, the maker of the popular Sidekick cellphone.
Analysts said that Microsoft was moving to confront a growing competitive threat from a range of companies that have positioned themselves to offer Web-based alternatives to Microsoft’s core office-productivity applications. The other major change was the replacement of Steve Berkowitz, the current senior vice president of Microsoft’s Online Services group. Mr. Berkowitz, the former chief executive of the online site Ask Jeeves, was hired with great fanfare in April 2006 to help revive Microsoft’s search and portal operations. Microsoft has been unable to make a dent in Google’s growing dominance in search and search advertising. Mr. Berkowitz will leave the company this August, the company said.
Responsibility for online operation was split among three executives who will work in the combined organization that handles both Internet activities and the Windows operating system, which is run by Kevin Johnson.
Satya Nadella, will be the senior vice president for the search, portals and advertising group. Mr. Nadella is on the engineering side of Microsoft, and will look after the technical side of Web search, advertising systems and related systems. He will also have responsibility for the programming of the MSN portal.
Bill Veghte, will be the senior vice president for online services and Windows, handling sales, marketing and product management both for Windows and online operations.
Brian McAndrews, the senior vice president of the advertiser and publisher solutions group, will look after the strategy and marketing of Microsoft’s online activities jointly with Mr. Veghte and Mr. Nadella.
