Apple Rejects Google App for iPhone?

From Reuters

Google has said Apple rejected its Google Voice application for the popular iPhone, contradicting Apple's statement to regulators last month.

The issue prompted the Federal Communications Commission to send letters to the companies and AT&T, the iPhone's exclusive carrier, demanding explanations.

The issue over Google's voice service could have far-reaching implications for the U.S. telecommunications industry. Depending on how the FCC responds, it could either pave the way for new entrants or hinder their ability to use large carriers' phones to offer discount services.

It also represents a quandary for regulators trying to promote the use of broadband among all Americans for communications, healthcare and education as wireless technology changes at such a rate that may outpace current rules.

According to redacted material made public on the FCC's website on Friday, Google said it was told of the rejection by Apple representatives after a series of meetings, telephone calls and emails.

In its response letter in August, Apple said it had not rejected the application and was still studying it because it appears to replace the iPhone's core mobile telephone functionality and user interface with its own system for telephone calls, text messaging and voicemail.

Apple maintained that position on Friday. "We do not agree with all of the statements made by Google in their FCC letter," Apple spokesman Steve Dowling said. "Apple has not rejected the Google voice application, and we continue to discuss it with Google."

The letters from the companies were in response to an inquiry launched in July by the FCC, which under new leadership is also taking a fresh look into the state of competition in the wireless industry.

The FCC, chaired by Julius Genachowski, wanted to know why Apple rejected Google Voice and what was discussed among Apple, Google and AT&T.

One quandary regulators face is the fact that Google, which is not regulated by the FCC, has the right to restrict calls or connections.

That has raised the ire of carriers like Verizon Communications, AT&T, Sprint Nextel and Qwest Communications International. The FCC essentially told those companies in 2007 that they could not restrict calls to avoid high fees associated with adult chat lines or free conference calls by companies routing calls through rural carriers aimed at generating fees.

In the 2007 order the FCC said: "All customers will continue to be able to connect with anyone on the network that they so choose."

In the redacted portion, Google said it had no communications with AT&T.

Google said Apple also rejected the Google Latitude application over concerns it would replace preloaded maps applications in the iPhone and create user confusion.

Google should also develop an online shop builder for iPhone. LOL!

Adobe Now Owns Business Catalyst

Business Catalyst(aka: Good Barry) has been acquired by Adobe.

It is great to see that this Australian company is being recognised for its cutting edge tools in making website marketing accessible to everyone.

The announcement goes to great pains to acknowledge that there are no immediate plans for changes to the service offered by Business Catalyst. Reading between the lines you could be forgiven for maintaining something of an expectation that this acquisition will be the catalyst for changes in the future. Seeing that the current management will be maintaining their roles in the company gives me hope that we will continue to see the Business Catalyst product suite grow and evolve with the needs of SME’s the world over.

Business Catalyst formed in 2001 and, as their website states they are “...passionate about two things: Web Designers and Small Business”. Business Catalyst provides the underlying platform on to which thousands of websites are built.

After Business Catalyst started the Partner Program in 2006, Receptive Technologies was amongst the first to start selling websites built on the platform, including online shop design. We have now been involved with hundreds of sites for both end users and other re-sellers alike.

Mapping Twitter trends

Stateless Systems, the creators of BugMeNot and PDFMeNot, have a new tool called Trendsmap that hasn't been designed to solve any productivity problems. Instead, it does just the opposite and serves as entertainment. It tracks trending Twitter topics by geographical location by combining data from Twitter's API and What The Trend. It then sticks it onto a Google Map where users can sort by city or general region and see trending topics in real time.

All of this information is organized into something resembling a tag cloud, which floats around without any specific, or pinpointed location within each city. Clicking on any of them pops up a small info box that aggregates the latest tweets, local and global seven-day histories of that trend's popularity, as well as some top-related news links that change depending on what's trending.

Where the site shines though, is in letting you dig even deeper by giving each city its own trends page. Here you can cruise through info boxes without first having to find each tag, as well as see all of the trending charts stacked up against one another--something I think makes for a better experience. It also collects all of the related media like photos and videos in one single section (try giving it a spin for Las Vegas).

One thing the service doesn't do very well though, is serve smaller towns. This wasn't a big deal killer for me since I'm based in San Francisco, but if you want to use it for somewhere that's outside a major city, you're out of luck. This may simply be a limitation of how deep the data set is, but it keeps you from seeing trends starting up in smaller towns, which can be more interesting than in major cities.

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online shop design

Dell Unites With Perot Systems

From CNET.com

The two companies expect to provide a broad range of IT services and packages, expanding the global reach of Perot Systems and selling Dell computer systems to additional Perot customers. The move could be a shot in the arm for Dell, giving it a way to diversify beyond its bread-and-butter business of selling hardware.

This significantly expands Dell's enterprise-solutions capabilities and makes Perot Systems' strengths available to even more customers around the world," said Dell CEO Michael Dell. "There will be efficiencies from combining the companies, but the acquisition makes such great sense because of the obvious ways our businesses complement each other."

Perot Systems, founded by one-time presidential candidate Ross Perot, provides IT services and business solutions to customers in health care, government, manufacturing, banking, and insurance. The company has built a large customer base in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Asia.

"Today's announcement is the next step in formalizing a relationship that has flourished for some time," said Perot Chairman Ross Perot Jr. "When my father founded Perot Systems he envisioned a global information-technology leader. The new, larger Dell builds on that promise and its own successes by taking Perot Systems' expertise to more customers than ever."

Under the agreement, PC and server maker Dell will acquire all outstanding common stock of Perot Systems for $30 a share in cash, a 65 percent premium over Friday's closing price. Subject to the usual government approvals, the deal is expected to close in Dell's November-January fiscal quarter.

In Monday morning trading, Perot Systems' shares were up by essentially that same margin, to $29.60. Dell's shares were down about 4 percent to $15.92.
From CNET.com
Once the deal is completed, Perot Systems will become Dell's services unit, headed by Peter Altabef, current Perot Systems CEO. Ross Perot Jr. is expected to be considered for a slot on Dell's board of directors.

Dell and Perot Systems have worked together in the past. In April, for instance, they teamed up to get in on the ground floor of electronic health records, a field that is expected to grow substantially in coming years as hospitals and physicians increasingly digitize patients' medical records. The companies also talked about the ability to run some medical applications in a hosted, "private cloud" offering to help make costs more manageable.

One of the largest computer makers in the world, Dell has been hit hard by the global recession as its business customers hold off on upgrading their banks of servers and arrays of desktop and laptop PCs. In its most recent quarter, Dell's earnings were down 23 percent year over year to $472 million, on revenue of $12.76 billion, also down just over 20 percent.

Dell and Perot Systems say that over the past four quarters they have taken in a combined $16 billion in enterprise hardware and IT services revenue, with about $8 billion from enhanced services and support.

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online shop design