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Google Campaigns against Microsoft
Google has gone back to the basics to attract businesses to their new Google Apps. Billboards used to be dismissed, almost useless to larger companies. But Google is bringing the billboard back! They have selected different billboards around the country, including New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and Boston, to display their new media campaign, “Going Google!”
Every weekday during August, Google’s billboards will display a new phrase or message promoting Google Apps. With sayings like, “Email, shared docs, and team sites? Nice. I want to go Google,” many believe this is a direct dig at Microsoft, like The Wall Street Journal. Meanwhile, Microsoft just struck a deal with Yahoo to combine the two search engines, Yahoo! Search and Bing, to have a legitimate shot at pushing Google out of the top. Google also created a “Join the Movement. Spread the Word. Go Google,” Website to try to stir up some talk about their new Google Apps, directed at business leaders and employees.
Communication, collaboration, and saving money are three advantages of Google Apps named on the Website. The Apps feature a combination of Google products within the workplace to maximize communication and collaboration ease. Email, calendar, and instant messaging apps will be better than before because of message threading and more storage. Collaboration will be made easier with a real-time application available. With all the applications running just on the server, no special software is required.
This may be a great new system for offices everywhere, or maybe just a great marketing scheme, but either way, it’s definitely a huge effort on Google’s part.
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Apple’s Secret Device: More rumors to get ex...
Back in late July, the AppleInsider reported that the much rumored Apple “tablet” may hit stores as early as 2010. Well it was reported today that the infamous tablet may actually become available at the end of this year!
There is a new, anonymous source claiming to have held the prototype of the next great Apple product. The source said that the new device should reach its final design in (as soon as) six weeks! Meaning the product could be announced as early as September and in stores by November! The new source claimed that prices will be between $700 and $800, which is completely over the price range we estimated back on July 14.
All the rumors about the new product never seem to be sure of whether or not the new device will be serviced through AT&T or Verizon. CruchGear suspects that Apple will finally change over to Verizon when the tablet comes out. Teaming up with Verizon would give Apple access to the largest pool of potential customers in the US, so it would definitely be the better choice.
This may all be very exciting but keep in mind that it is still all rumor and could turn out to be absolutely nothing at all… which would be very unfortunate. However, with the rumors never taking a break or ever being denied, it’s easy to believe them.
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Sued for Tweeting
Back in May, Amanda Bonnen did what lots of other Twitter users do, she tweeted to a friend with a complaint included. The only thing is, she used the name of a realty company when complaining about mold in her apartment. Over three months later, the real estate company is suing the poor girl for “publishing maliciously false statements.”
Monday, Horizon Realty Group filed a lawsuit against Amanda Bonnen for defamation. This means that if the realty group can prove that Bonnen was intentionally publishing an untrue statement, she will be required to pay a penalty of $50,000 for the 127 character statement.
As Chicago Now reported, Bonnen only had about 20 followers. Meaning maybe a little over 20 people saw the original tweet. However, now that the realty company has decided to file charges, millions of people are likely to see the same tweet and think poorly of the real estate the company represents. Definitely not a good move on Horizon’s part.
If the charges are carried out, this could open up a Pandora’s Box for twitter lawsuits. Where do we draw the line between publication and harmless conversation?
Read MoreApple’s Connection to a Suicide Under Invest...
You have probably heard about the Chinese Foxconn worker who committed suicide after losing an iPhone prototype. Just days after his death (July 16th), the news was buzzing with the story. A young man named Sun Danyong, who was timid and a hard worker, misplaced one of six prototypes that were in his possession and then received a brutal beating and much humiliation from his superiors who suspected thievery. Just days later, the same timid 25-year-old jumped to his death from his apartment, 12 stories up from the street below.
Buzz about this tragic incident is putting much pressure on Apple and Foxconn and issues of labor conditions, treatment of employees, and Apple’s place in Foxconn’s factories. Foxconn is one of the largest suppliers of Apple products, putting Apple in an awkward place. Apple made a statement soon after the event saying what a tragedy it was to lose an employee and that they require suppliers to “treat all workers with dignity and respect.”
The case is now under police investigation but neither Foxconn nor the police have made any statements yet. Security of such exclusive products is now being questioned, especially in the region of China where Foxconn is located. The knock-off smartphone market has become huge in southern China. The New York Times reports, “Labor rights groups say the worker’s death should compel Apple to improve conditions at its supplier factories in China and prevent worker abuse.”
Read MoreAmazon’s Attempt to Remain Reliable
Amazon has talked and talked, trying to convince potential buyers that the Amazon Kindle is the best way to read your favorite books. Being paperless, cordless, and wireless, it is “the future of book reading. It will be everywhere,” said Michael Lewis, author of Moneyball and Liar’s Poker.
Last Friday, however, many Amazon Kindle users lost their faith in the compact book storing device when they found their copies of George Orwell’s 1984 and Animal Farm missing from their E-Book collections. The Orwell books were added to the Kindle store by a user named MobileReference who did not have the rights to sell the books in America. When Amazon became aware of this illegal selling in their own store, they took down the E-Books being sold and deleted it from all users’ Kindles who had already purchased the books. Amazon also refunded each Kindle owner’s loss with the amount paid.
Many comments are being thrown around about this violation of trust saying that retailers of tangible goods would never be allowed to sneak into a customer’s home and take back a bootleg version and replace it with a check. Why should E-Books be any different? Now, Amazon is admitting that the move was probably not the best solution and that they are taking steps to prevent it from happening again.
On the flip side, Amazon was in the right here because the reliability of their bookstore was being compromised. The blame should not fall on Amazon, it should be on MobileReference for posting the books illegally. The copyrights for 1984 and Animal Farm have expired in many other countries, making it legal for anyone to read online without purchasing it, but will not expire in the US until 2044.
There is still a listing for the E-Book 1984 from the legitimate publisher Houghton Miffin Harcourt, but no E-Book for Animal Farm.
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The Zero Energy House has been Achieved
General Electric has had a rough year in the stock market. Starting around $17, getting as low as $7, and now back up to $11, GE has fallen and risen with the tide of Dow Jones Industrial. They may have just created something that will put them back on top of the stock market world.
Just today, GE achieved a zero net energy house. By balancing energy usage and energy production in the home, they created the zero net energy atmosphere. GE also said they are striving to make this achievement possible for any home by 2015. A Home Energy Manager will be the key to achieving a zero energy home in the future. Going for somewhere between $200 and $250, the Home Energy Manager will be a communication tool between energy consumers and energy producers in a house.
General Electric described the use of the Home Energy Manager as a regulator of how much energy is used in the home while taking into consideration the amount of energy produced by solar panels or wind turbines. Appliances in the house are figured into the equation by a smart meter and an electronic control on each appliance. The smart meter reads how much energy is used by each appliance and then the Home Energy Manager programs the appliances to rotate their cycles, keeping energy use at a constant rate.
Some more short term goals that we should see GE achieve include a new model of thermostat. Planned to be available next year, the thermostats will allow homeowners to see how much energy they are using at any given time of day. CNet reports that when homeowners are aware of the amount of energy they use, they find ways to cut energy usage by 5 to 10 percent on their own. That would be a great improvement seen in the homeowner’s bills.
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