GSA Technology Council

U.S. Rep. Bob Inglis (R-SC) offered a congressional letter Thursday to the executives of Google commending the Internet search company for standing firm against China censors, saying, “we need to commend companies that will not cooperate with governments intent on violating human rights.”

Inglis also joined with Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) Thursday at a press conference to call for a vote on the Global Online Freedom Act (H.R. 2271), a bipartisan bill that would prevent U.S. information technology companies from collaborating with repressive foreign governments in their efforts to conduct Internet censorship and surveillance on their own citizens. The legislation has passed multiple House Committees in the previous Congress.

“Americans are all too familiar with China’s record of human rights violations,” Inglis said, noting that basic political freedoms and human rights are denied to China’s 1.3 billion citizens. “The brave activists who seek to reform the system are hounded relentlessly and imprisoned by the government, and American companies should not cooperate.”

On Tuesday, Google revealed that the Gmail accounts of these human rights activists were the subject of “a highly sophisticated and targeted attack.” Company officials said they would no longer cooperate with censorship efforts by the government and would pull out if the surveillance attacks did not stop.

“Google decided to stand on principle and appears willing to renounce the growing Chinese advertising market in order to uphold its commitment to the free flow of information, “ Inglis said. “We commend them on this decision and express our support for them and for the Chinese people as the situation unfolds.

During a press conference Thursday, Inglis as to join Rep. Frank Wolf, Amnesty International, Reporters Without Borders and former Chinese political prisoners Harry Wu and Wei Jingsheng to comment Google’s announcement. Rep. Smith will call on House leaders to finally vote on the Global Online Freedom Act. Smith met with Google officials in his office Wednesday to discuss the bill, which the company has previously endorsed.

via: Bob Inglis

For the past two years, Amazon has welcomed authors and publishers to directly upload and sell content in the Kindle Store through the self-service Kindle publishing platform. Today, Amazon announced that it is inviting software developers to build and upload active content that will be available in the Kindle Store later this year. The new Kindle Development Kit gives developers access to programming interfaces, tools and documentation to build active content for Kindle–the #1 bestselling, most wished for, and most gifted product across all categories on Amazon. Developers can learn more about the Kindle Development Kit today at http://www.amazon.com/kdk/ and sign up to be notified when the limited beta starts next month.

“We’ve heard from lots of developers over the past two years who are excited to build on top of Kindle,” said Ian Freed, Vice President, Amazon Kindle. “The Kindle Development Kit opens many possibilities–we look forward to being surprised by what developers invent.”

The Kindle Development Kit enables developers to build active content that leverages Kindle’s unique combination of seamless and invisible 3G wireless delivery over Amazon Whispernet, high-resolution electronic paper display that looks and reads like real paper, and long battery life of seven days with wireless activated. For example, Handmark is building an active Zagat guide featuring their trusted ratings, reviews and more for restaurants in cities around the world, and Sonic Boom is building word games and puzzles.

“As the leading worldwide publisher of mobile games, EA Mobile has had the privilege of collaborating with many dynamic and innovative companies in bringing exciting gaming experiences to new platforms,” says Adam Sussman, Vice President of Worldwide Publishing, EA Mobile. “Working with Amazon, we look forward to bringing some of the world’s most popular and fun games to Kindle and their users.”

Starting next month, participants in the limited beta will be able to download the Kindle Development Kit, access developer support, test content on Kindle, and submit finished content. Those wait-listed will be invited to participate as space becomes available. The Kindle Development Kit includes sample code, documentation, and the Kindle Simulator, which helps developers build and test their content by simulating the 6-inch Kindle and 9.7-inch Kindle DX on Mac, PC, and Linux desktops.

via: Amazon Media Room

Today Yahoo! Inc. announced that Sue James was elected to the company’s Board of Directors, effective January 11, 2010. Sue brings extensive financial expertise and experience with a 35-year career at Ernst & Young (E&Y). Sue was also named Chair of the Board’s Audit Committee.

“We’re excited to welcome her to the Board and look forward to her considerable insight and expertise.”

“The Yahoo! Board continues to be committed to upholding the highest standards of corporate governance and fiduciary responsibilities,” said Roy Bostock, Chairman of Yahoo!’s Board of Directors. “Sue’s mix of financial and technology experience throughout her career at E&Y adds strength to the Board and makes her well suited to lead the Audit Committee.”

Sue joined E&Y, a global leader in professional services, in 1975 and served as a partner from 1987 until her retirement in June 2006. She served as a consultant from June 2006 to December 2009. During her tenure with E&Y, Sue was the lead partner or partner-in-charge for the audit work for a number of significant technology companies including Intel Corporation, Sun Microsystems, Amazon.com, Autodesk and HP. She also served on the E&Y Americas Executive Board of Directors from January 2002 through June 2006. Sue is a certified public accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

“Sue is one of the most accomplished executives in her field and her experience will be invaluable as Yahoo! continues to focus on operational and financial efficiencies,” said Carol Bartz, Yahoo! CEO. “We’re excited to welcome her to the Board and look forward to her considerable insight and expertise.”

Sue also serves on the Board of Directors of Applied Materials, Inc., Coherent, Inc. and Tri-Valley Animal Rescue, a non-profit that is dedicated to providing homes for homeless pets.

Sue holds Bachelor degrees from Hunter College and San Jose State University.

via: Yahoo

Although 802.11n Wi-Fi technology was found in less than 1% of Wi-Fi-enabled smartphones last year, in 2014 at least 87% of Wi-Fi-capable smartphones will feature this latest of the 802.11 protocols. However, users of these phones shouldn’t expect laptop-like performance, at least not initially.

“Driven by chip-makers more than by handset vendors, 802.11n is making its official debut in higher-end smartphones in 2010”

“Driven by chip-makers more than by handset vendors, 802.11n is making its official debut in higher-end smartphones in 2010,” says ABI Research industry analyst Michael Morgan. “802.11n is arriving in the handset just at the right time. We had to wait for consumers to switch over to 802.11n access points, and we’re just now reaching that tipping point. Something like 50% of the Wi-Fi access points on offer are now 11n. Consumers are becoming aware of what it can do.”

However, warns Morgan, “At first, 802.11n-enabled handsets will not offer MIMO or some of 11n’s more advanced enhancements. So users won’t see the same degree of improvement that they would with a laptop or netbook. While 802.11n will start to penetrate mid- and lower-end smartphones from about 2012 on, the full power of the protocol won’t be available in most handsets until 2014 or later.”

It costs manufacturers virtually no more to include 802.11n in handsets alongside the current “b” and “g” protocols. And those older technologies won’t be going away, because handsets will need to work in the widest possible range of connectivity environments. The same applies to frequencies: 802.11n works best in the 5 GHz band, while b and g are restricted to 2.4 GHz. So, says Morgan, “It’s important for vendors to continue offering all these protocols and if possible selectable frequency capabilities for some time to come.

ABI Research’s new Research Brief “Wi-Fi Handsets – Moving to 802.11n” (http://www.abiresearch.com/research/1002738) identifies key use cases and future applications for Wi-Fi that will drive unique implementations of 802.11n into mobile handsets. Future implementations of 802.11n in smartphones are forecast by frequency, by antenna count and by protocol mix.

via: ABI Research

Real estate Web site Zillow.com today announced it broke multiple records for site traffic and user activity in 2009. An average of 8.2 million unique users visited Zillow each month during this period, which is an increase of 57 percent year-over-year (i). Additional milestones include:

* 37 percent year-over-year growth in page views in 2009.
* 3.9 million for-sale, rental and Make Me Move listings are posted on Zillow today, up 43 percent year-over-year, as the result of more listings feed partnerships with brokerages and Multiple Listings Services.
* In December 2009 Zillow launched Rental Listings and Search, enabling anyone to post a home for rent on Zillow, and giving home shoppers the option to search both homes for sale and homes for rent. Nearly one million of Zillow’s monthly visitors are exclusively renters, with countless others searching both types of homes simultaneously.
* The Zillow iPhone App has been downloaded more than 870,000 times since its launch in April 2009, quickly making it the most popular real estate app on the iPhone. Over 2 million homes are viewed on the app each month. Additionally, O’Reilly Media named the Zillow iPhone App “Best App for Real Estate” and a “top pick.”
* Consumers submitted 550,000 loan requests on Zillow Mortgage Marketplace in 2009. Of those requests, 46 percent, or 253,300 were for refinance loans as mortgage rates reached record lows in 2009. Lenders responded with more than 10 million custom loan quotes during this same period. To date, more than 7,000 lender ratings and reviews have been submitted by borrowers.
* 171 U.S. newspapers began using Zillow’s search and listings technology to power their real estate Web sites in 2009, including The Tampa Tribune, Seattle Post-Intelligencer and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

“2009 was a wild year for real estate, with continued home value declines, government intervention, record low mortgage rates, and an enormous amount of consumer uncertainty about what the future holds,” said Spencer Rascoff, Zillow’s chief operating officer. “As a result, people flocked to Zillow for information and advice. Uncertainty always benefits information providers, and 2009 was the year that Zillow solidified its place as a clear leader in providing millions of people with real estate information.”

“It also was the year we saw a real shift change in how people consume and find real estate information. Within just eight months of launching our Zillow iPhone App, it’s been downloaded nearly 900,000 times and over 2 million homes are viewed via the Zillow iPhone App each month. It’s clear to us that more and more people want Zillow’s real estate information on location, while touring neighborhoods and homes, and we expect this trend to magnify in 2010,” Rascoff said.

To learn more about Zillow, visit the Zillow Blog at www.zillow.com/blog. Learn more about Zillow Mobile and the Zillow iPhone App by visiting www.zillow.com/iphone.

via: Zillow.com

The Technology Center at the Hughes Main Library is now offering free resources for web and graphic design. The Self-Service Design Station is available for public use through generous funding from the Friends of the Greenville County Library System.

The Self-Service Design Station includes the Adobe Creative Suite 3 Design Premium software, as well as additional complementing software. For those who are unfamiliar with the Adobe Creative Suite programs, online video tutorials, provided by Lynda.com, may be viewed on an adjacent computer.

Greenville County Library System library card holders may use the new design station at no charge for a three-hour time limit, which may be extended if no other patron is waiting to use it. Patrons are encouraged to bring their own removable storage device, such as a flash memory drive or card, to save their work.

Additional Adobe Suite Premium CS3 programs:

Adobe Acrobat Distiller
Adobe Acrobat 8 Pro
Adobe Bridge CS3
Adobe Device Central CS3
Adobe Dreamweaver CS3
Adobe ExtendScript Toolkit 2
Adobe Extension Manager CS3
Adobe Flash CS3 Pro
Adobe Flash CS3 Video Editor
Adobe Illustrator CS3
Adobe InDesign CS3
Adobe Live Cycle Designer 8.0
Adobe Photoshop CS3

via: Greenville County Library

Continuing its commitment to be the center of people’s online lives, Yahoo! Inc. today announced further integration with Facebook that unites social experiences from across the Web to provide a place for consumers to enjoy meaningful content and stay in touch with the people they care about most.

“With this integration, we are opening the door for two of the Internet’s largest online communities to make it easier for people to stay connected,” said Jim Stoneham, vice president of Communities for Yahoo!. “It also enables us to further the Yahoo! Open Strategy, which is aimed at making experiences dramatically more open, social and personally relevant for the more than 500 million people that visit Yahoo! each month.”

Yahoo!’s Facebook Connect integration will give consumers richer experiences on Yahoo!, including in Yahoo! Mail and on properties like Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Sports, and Yahoo! Finance. It will enable them to connect with Facebook friends on Yahoo!, view a feed of their friends’ related activity on Yahoo!, and share content—such as photos from Flickr or comments on news stories—with all of their friends on Facebook. The content that consumers share with Facebook friends will then create a loop that drives visitors back to Yahoo!.

This partnership extends the current Facebook integration on Yahoo! which enables Facebook users to access their stream and update their status from the Yahoo! homepage, provides “Share on Facebook” options across the Yahoo! network, and allows Facebook to access Yahoo! Contacts. People using both Yahoo! and Facebook will soon be able to share updates across both networks, creating a richer and more relevant social experience by connecting the broad range of Yahoo! content and services with their friends on Facebook.

“As one of the largest sites on the Web, Yahoo! is an ideal partner to integrate with Facebook Connect, enabling users to share meaningful content with their friends on Facebook from Yahoo’s wide range of category-leading properties,” said Ethan Beard, director of Facebook Developer Network.

The integration is expected to begin in the first half of 2010.

via: Yahoo

Metromix LLC, the leading online entertainment authority for socially active young adults, today announced the launch of “What’s Nearby,” the newest version of the Metromix iPhone application, which allows users to quickly find nearby entertainment options based on their GPS position. The free application allows you to locate restaurants, bars and clubs, events, and music as well as movie theaters and showtimes within walking distance or just a short drive away from your current location, making Metromix an even more useful and convenient social planning tool. Already downloaded over 100,000 times, “What’s Nearby” also provides Metromix’s four million monthly users – located across 37 U.S. markets – the ability to post reviews and photos to Metromix.com using their iPhone, as well as to share those submissions on Facebook using Facebook Connect.

“The ‘What’s Nearby’ application for iPhones is the ultimate in convenience,” said Kara Walsh, CEO of Metromix LLC. “Now our millions of loyal Metromix website users can find out what’s happening within steps or blocks of wherever they happen to be, instantly. Those experiencing Metromix for the first time through our iPhone app will be psyched to find authoritative editorial reviews and extensive details and photos that we collect about venues, which complement the reviews from our user base.”

via: MetroMix

ooVoo, the most popular multi-point, cross-platform video communication solution, today confirmed its 50 millionth video conversation since its launch in June 2007. Each month, ooVoo hosts millions of video conversations between family members, co-workers and friends looking for an easy way to connect face-to-face.

“ooVoo’s rapid growth and leadership position in the video communication space speaks to consumers’ desire for a high quality face-to-face communication solution,” said Philippe Schwartz, CEO of ooVoo. “Our loyal user base continues to find new ways to use ooVoo – for everything from e-therapy to writing innovative custody agreements that include ooVoo ‘visitation’ time. We are excited that on a daily basis we are able to enhance the lives of millions of individuals who turn to ooVoo to communicate,” said Schwartz.

ooVoo is an easy, affordable and portable cross platform, multi-point internet-based video communication solution that enables people around the world to connect with anyone, anytime. Advanced features that set ooVoo apart from the competition — such as up to six-way video chats between PC and Mac users, VGA video quality and the ability to record, save and send conversations — have helped fuel ooVoo’s growth over the past two years. ooVoo is the only provider that allows users to either connect via a downloadable software to others who have downloaded (“ooVoo to ooVoo”) or connect with friends that haven’t downloaded the software with “Web Video Call” functionality, which allows friends or business contacts to connect simply via a Web browser. ooVoo is used by individuals for personal connections and conversations and businesses who want maximum efficiency for meetings, remote work team collaboration and a truly global reach where travel isn’t always possible.

via: ooVoo.com

User Centric, Inc., a user research firm based in Chicago, offers a glimpse into the battle between the newly launched Microsoft’s Bing and the powerful incumbent, Google. As part of an independent, non-sponsored study, User Centric used eye tracking technology to capture 21 participants’ eye movements as they completed two informational (e.g., “Learn about eating healthy”) and two transactional (e.g., “Book a last minute vacation”) search tasks in each engine.

Preliminary findings revealed comparable amount of visual attention on organic search results and top sponsored links across both search engines. Sponsored links on the right, however, attracted more attention on Bing than they did on Google. On average, across all four tasks, 42% of participants looked at Bing’s sponsored links on the right; by contrast, only 25% of participants looked at Google’s right rail links. According to Gavin Lew, Managing Director of User Centric, “This finding is especially important to search engine marketers who are paying for these spots. Our results suggest that Bing may be able to give them more bang for their buck.”

User Centric also investigated two features that differentiate Bing from Google – flyouts that appear when users hover over individual search results and a category list displayed on the left.

Two-thirds of the participants triggered a flyout at least once during their sessions, which shows that they are easily activated. User Centric’s Chief Scientist and eye tracking expert, Aga Bojko commented, “It was unexpected that so many users new to Bing stumbled upon the flyouts despite their hidden state.” However, less than a quarter of participants actually looked at the flyouts they had triggered. Bojko remarked, “Ignoring flyouts is likely due to a tendency to devalue motion as a source of information on the Web.”

The category list attracted much more attention than the flyouts. Across the four tasks, about half of the participants looked at the list, including three who used the tool to refine their search. Each participant who clicked on the categories reused them on subsequent searches, which suggests potential value.

User Centric plans to further investigate the discoverability of flyouts and their value proposition, as well as other Bing sections, such as Images, Videos, and News.

via: User Centric