RockMelt browser launches for iPad
RockMelt Web browser that burst onto the scene in 2010 aimed to build your online social connections into your everyday Web-browsing experience. As a result, feeds from your Facebook friends draped your home page, but in a way that did not feel too cluttered.
RockMelt was built on the foundation of Chromium, the technology behind Google's fast Chrome browser. It had the backing of Marc Andreessen, an Internet pioneer who kick-started this whole browser business in the early 1990s with Mosaic.
After what the Silicon Valley company says was an eight-month endeavor, RockMelt is launching a browser for the iPad. As with its Mac and PC siblings, RockMelt for iPad is social. It 's fun to look at, and it's meant to let you get to your content in a way that's faster than opening an empty window, pulling up the keyboard and entering a Web address. Even big fans of the iPad don't necessarily love typing on the tablet.
I rarely had to type a URL when browsing via RockMelt. But I sure did get around on the Web, serendipitously landing on news stories, stuff shared by friends via Facebook, and fluff, too.
You're greeted with content in RockMelt that's tailored to your interests, served up in large squares with a headline and picture. You can choose to view squares of the most popular stuff on the Web, or to customize the interface by category (Business, Cute, Foodie, Geek, News, Paparazzi, Sports, Travel and so on).
If something catches your eye as you scroll up and down the screen, tap the square to read the underlying article, view the picture or play the video. When you're done, pinch to close. You can swipe right to send the article to a sidebar panel to read or view later. If you find the producers of the content interesting, you can "follow" them, just as you follow folks or companies on Twitter. (You can sign into RockMelt via Facebook or Twitter.)
At the top of the sidebar are notifications about people who are following you.
To make the stuff you share with others on the Web more intriguing, you can add comments or assign what RockMelt calls "emoticodes." Choices include "like," "lol," "want," "aww," or "hmm." I should point out that choosing "like" doesn't mean mean you're giving it a "like" in Facebook. Emoticodes stay within the RockMelt universe.
My quick take is that RockMelt is more Flipboard than Safari. But it really is its own unique Web animal, and well worth checking out.
RockMelt was built on the foundation of Chromium, the technology behind Google's fast Chrome browser. It had the backing of Marc Andreessen, an Internet pioneer who kick-started this whole browser business in the early 1990s with Mosaic.
After what the Silicon Valley company says was an eight-month endeavor, RockMelt is launching a browser for the iPad. As with its Mac and PC siblings, RockMelt for iPad is social. It 's fun to look at, and it's meant to let you get to your content in a way that's faster than opening an empty window, pulling up the keyboard and entering a Web address. Even big fans of the iPad don't necessarily love typing on the tablet.
I rarely had to type a URL when browsing via RockMelt. But I sure did get around on the Web, serendipitously landing on news stories, stuff shared by friends via Facebook, and fluff, too.
You're greeted with content in RockMelt that's tailored to your interests, served up in large squares with a headline and picture. You can choose to view squares of the most popular stuff on the Web, or to customize the interface by category (Business, Cute, Foodie, Geek, News, Paparazzi, Sports, Travel and so on).
If something catches your eye as you scroll up and down the screen, tap the square to read the underlying article, view the picture or play the video. When you're done, pinch to close. You can swipe right to send the article to a sidebar panel to read or view later. If you find the producers of the content interesting, you can "follow" them, just as you follow folks or companies on Twitter. (You can sign into RockMelt via Facebook or Twitter.)
At the top of the sidebar are notifications about people who are following you.
To make the stuff you share with others on the Web more intriguing, you can add comments or assign what RockMelt calls "emoticodes." Choices include "like," "lol," "want," "aww," or "hmm." I should point out that choosing "like" doesn't mean mean you're giving it a "like" in Facebook. Emoticodes stay within the RockMelt universe.
My quick take is that RockMelt is more Flipboard than Safari. But it really is its own unique Web animal, and well worth checking out.
Did you know you could do this with Apple iOS 6?
The publicity blitzkrieg that Apple unleashed for iPhone 5 overshadowed another product that affects more users — a new operating system.
Apple introduced iOS 6 along with the new phone last month. And the hardware understandably captured most of the hubbub and fan chatter, at least on the day of the phone's announcement. Casual fans who weren't paying close attention might have missed the fact that the new software also would be available to older phones even before the launch sale date of iPhone 5.
The new operating system has more than 200 new features, ranging from apps that may hint at Apple's future ambitions (like mobile payment enabler Passbook) to incremental improvements that ease routine annoyances (a one-touch button to copy a Web page address).
Much has been written about several prominent new features — Apple Maps, enhancements to the voice-recognition tool Siri, panorama shots for the camera, and the cellular connection capability for video-chat app FaceTime.
But here are some obscure changes that could be overlooked by those who don't take the time to explore the new software.
-- Larger Safari screen. Even if you don't buy the larger-screen iPhone 5, the browsing space on the Safari browser is now a tad bigger. Turn the phone horizontally to the landscape mode, and tap on the far-right button in the bottom menu bar. The toolbar and the URL bar then disappear.
-- Browsing history. You can view your browsing history by keeping your finger pressed for a second on the back-button in Safari.
-- Offline reading. The share button on Safari -- the middle button on the bottom menu bar -- offers several options for a Web page, including mail, send text, post to Facebook, etc. But you can also click "Add to Reading List" and send it to a folder for reading the page when you have no Internet connection — an ideal tool for iPod Touch users or those who monitor monthly data limits.
-- Copying URL. A handy tool for those who love to text or e-mail Web pages, the share button on Safari now has the "Copy" option for copying a URL.
-- Easy updates. Many neglect to update apps because they forget their Apple ID password. IOS 6 lets you update without retyping the password. Since you've presumably entered the password at purchase, Apple assumes you are who you say you are.
-- Answer calls with text. You can still answer a call during an important meeting. When a call comes in, a phone icon appears in the lower right-hand side of the locked screen. Tapping on it will reveal several options, including "Reply with Message" (for pre-typed text messages) and "Remind Me Later."
-- Tweet from main screen. Twitter fans can post messages on the main screen without opening the app. Open the Notification Center by dragging your thumb from the top of the main home screen and you'll see "Tap to Tweet." You must enable the feature in Settings by drilling down on Notifications and selecting "Share Widgets."
-- Important e-mail. The new VIP folder in the e-mail app filters messages you want to read immediately. Designate your wife or boss' e-mail address in the VIP list and their messages will land on the folder, saving you from having to sort through hundreds of others cluttering your inbox. You can also choose to have VIP messages show up in the Notification Center.
-- Easier photo insertion. In previous iOS versions, it was easier to e-mail photos by starting in the Photos app. But now, by double-clicking on any blank part of an e-mail-compose page, you can call up an option to attach a photo or video. If you don't see the option right away, click on the right arrow.
-- Private photo sharing. Wanna share photos with family members but hate Facebook? By selecting a photo and tapping the share button, you can choose to file it in a "Photo Stream" for private viewing by the individuals you designate via e-mail. The "streams" you create will be there for future use, allowing you to send more photos to the same group of individuals without having to retype e-mail addresses.
-- iTunes samples. Song samples in iTunes continue to play even though you hop around in other parts of the music store, or leave it.
Apple introduced iOS 6 along with the new phone last month. And the hardware understandably captured most of the hubbub and fan chatter, at least on the day of the phone's announcement. Casual fans who weren't paying close attention might have missed the fact that the new software also would be available to older phones even before the launch sale date of iPhone 5.
The new operating system has more than 200 new features, ranging from apps that may hint at Apple's future ambitions (like mobile payment enabler Passbook) to incremental improvements that ease routine annoyances (a one-touch button to copy a Web page address).
Much has been written about several prominent new features — Apple Maps, enhancements to the voice-recognition tool Siri, panorama shots for the camera, and the cellular connection capability for video-chat app FaceTime.
But here are some obscure changes that could be overlooked by those who don't take the time to explore the new software.
-- Larger Safari screen. Even if you don't buy the larger-screen iPhone 5, the browsing space on the Safari browser is now a tad bigger. Turn the phone horizontally to the landscape mode, and tap on the far-right button in the bottom menu bar. The toolbar and the URL bar then disappear.
-- Browsing history. You can view your browsing history by keeping your finger pressed for a second on the back-button in Safari.
-- Offline reading. The share button on Safari -- the middle button on the bottom menu bar -- offers several options for a Web page, including mail, send text, post to Facebook, etc. But you can also click "Add to Reading List" and send it to a folder for reading the page when you have no Internet connection — an ideal tool for iPod Touch users or those who monitor monthly data limits.
-- Copying URL. A handy tool for those who love to text or e-mail Web pages, the share button on Safari now has the "Copy" option for copying a URL.
-- Easy updates. Many neglect to update apps because they forget their Apple ID password. IOS 6 lets you update without retyping the password. Since you've presumably entered the password at purchase, Apple assumes you are who you say you are.
-- Answer calls with text. You can still answer a call during an important meeting. When a call comes in, a phone icon appears in the lower right-hand side of the locked screen. Tapping on it will reveal several options, including "Reply with Message" (for pre-typed text messages) and "Remind Me Later."
-- Tweet from main screen. Twitter fans can post messages on the main screen without opening the app. Open the Notification Center by dragging your thumb from the top of the main home screen and you'll see "Tap to Tweet." You must enable the feature in Settings by drilling down on Notifications and selecting "Share Widgets."
-- Important e-mail. The new VIP folder in the e-mail app filters messages you want to read immediately. Designate your wife or boss' e-mail address in the VIP list and their messages will land on the folder, saving you from having to sort through hundreds of others cluttering your inbox. You can also choose to have VIP messages show up in the Notification Center.
-- Easier photo insertion. In previous iOS versions, it was easier to e-mail photos by starting in the Photos app. But now, by double-clicking on any blank part of an e-mail-compose page, you can call up an option to attach a photo or video. If you don't see the option right away, click on the right arrow.
-- Private photo sharing. Wanna share photos with family members but hate Facebook? By selecting a photo and tapping the share button, you can choose to file it in a "Photo Stream" for private viewing by the individuals you designate via e-mail. The "streams" you create will be there for future use, allowing you to send more photos to the same group of individuals without having to retype e-mail addresses.
-- iTunes samples. Song samples in iTunes continue to play even though you hop around in other parts of the music store, or leave it.
Samsung unveils Windows 8 ultrabook, tablet hybrids
Samsung has taken the wraps off a collection of Windows devices, including a Windows 8ultrabook with a touch screen.
As part of its "Smart PC" strategy, the Korean electronics giant tonight unveiled its 13-inch Series 5 Ultra Touch Windows 8 ultrabook, which starts at $809.99 for a Core i3 and features a 1366x768 display, 4GB of RAM, and 500GB hard drive with 24 gigs of ExpressCache (high-speed SSD storage). An extra $50 gets buyers a Core i5 processor. However, at 3.83 pounds, it isn't likely to win the weight conscious.
Samsung also unveiled a pair of Windows 8tablets with 11.6-inch displays -- the rebranded Ativ Smart PC 500T, which will retail for $749.99 with keyboard and $649.99 without keyboard, and the 700T, which will sell for $1,199.99. The 500T sports an Atom Z2760, 2GB of RAM, and 64GB of internal storage, while the 700T features a Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage.
Retail availability was not revealed, but the devices will presumably be available when Windows 8 is released on October 26.
As part of its "Smart PC" strategy, the Korean electronics giant tonight unveiled its 13-inch Series 5 Ultra Touch Windows 8 ultrabook, which starts at $809.99 for a Core i3 and features a 1366x768 display, 4GB of RAM, and 500GB hard drive with 24 gigs of ExpressCache (high-speed SSD storage). An extra $50 gets buyers a Core i5 processor. However, at 3.83 pounds, it isn't likely to win the weight conscious.
Samsung also unveiled a pair of Windows 8tablets with 11.6-inch displays -- the rebranded Ativ Smart PC 500T, which will retail for $749.99 with keyboard and $649.99 without keyboard, and the 700T, which will sell for $1,199.99. The 500T sports an Atom Z2760, 2GB of RAM, and 64GB of internal storage, while the 700T features a Core i5 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage.
Retail availability was not revealed, but the devices will presumably be available when Windows 8 is released on October 26.
Verizon draws fire for monitoring app usage, browsing habits
Verizon Wireless has begun selling information about its customers' geographical locations, app usage, and Web browsing activities, a move that raises privacy questions and could brush up against federal wiretapping law.
The company this month began offering reports to marketers showing what Verizon subscribers are doing on their phones and other mobile devices, including what iOS and Android apps are in use in which locations. It says it may link those data to third-party databases with information about customers' gender, age, and even details such as "sports enthusiast, frequent diner or pet owner."
"We're able to view just everything that they do," Bill Diggins, U.S. chief for the Verizon Wireless marketing initiative, told an industry conference earlier this year. "And that's really where data is going today. Data is the new oil."
Verizon Wireless says that its initiative, calledPrecision Market Insights, is legal because the data are aggregated and don't reveal customers' identities. Also, the company says, its customers can opt out at any time.
But hyper-detailed monitoring of customers' activity looks a lot like the deep packet inspection techniques that landed NebuAd in hot water -- including a congressional investigation -- four years ago. NebuAd's chief executive, Robert Dykes, claimed he had created "anonymous profiles that cannot be hacked or reverse-engineered," but the controversy led to the company's demise.
Hanni Fakhoury, a staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation in San Francisco, said a wireless carrier that discloses information about which URLs a customer visits could run afoul of the Wiretap Act. In general, the Act says, carriers may not "divulge the contents of any communication."
"I don't see any substantive difference between collecting content from one person and turning it over to someone, and collecting it from multiple people, aggregating that information and then turning the aggregated data over to someone else," Fakhoury says. "In the end, there is still a capturing of content from the user at some point -- and that's what the potential (Wiretap Act) problem is."
Paul Ohm, a professor at the University of Colorado Law School currently working at the Federal Trade Commission, concluded in a law review article that federal privacy law "likely forbids many invasive forms of ISP monitoring."
At the industry event sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers in Los Angeles, Verizon's Diggins touted the carrier's extensive monitoring abilities: "We're able to analyze what people are viewing on their handsets. If you're at an MLB game, we can tell if you're viewing ESPN, we can tell if you're viewing MLB, we can tell what social networking sites you're activating, if you're sending out mobile usage content that's user-generated on video."
Verizon Wireless declined to answer questions that CNET posed last week about how its technology works, but it did provide this statement:
Verizon is committed to customer privacy and takes the issue seriously. The Precision program complies with the law and protects the privacy of our customers. The reports available through the program will not disclose the content of specific customer communications because each report will contain aggregate data from a large number of customers to protect privacy. Customers who do not want their data used as part of the program can opt-out at any time.
The company this month began offering reports to marketers showing what Verizon subscribers are doing on their phones and other mobile devices, including what iOS and Android apps are in use in which locations. It says it may link those data to third-party databases with information about customers' gender, age, and even details such as "sports enthusiast, frequent diner or pet owner."
"We're able to view just everything that they do," Bill Diggins, U.S. chief for the Verizon Wireless marketing initiative, told an industry conference earlier this year. "And that's really where data is going today. Data is the new oil."
Verizon Wireless says that its initiative, calledPrecision Market Insights, is legal because the data are aggregated and don't reveal customers' identities. Also, the company says, its customers can opt out at any time.
But hyper-detailed monitoring of customers' activity looks a lot like the deep packet inspection techniques that landed NebuAd in hot water -- including a congressional investigation -- four years ago. NebuAd's chief executive, Robert Dykes, claimed he had created "anonymous profiles that cannot be hacked or reverse-engineered," but the controversy led to the company's demise.
Hanni Fakhoury, a staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation in San Francisco, said a wireless carrier that discloses information about which URLs a customer visits could run afoul of the Wiretap Act. In general, the Act says, carriers may not "divulge the contents of any communication."
"I don't see any substantive difference between collecting content from one person and turning it over to someone, and collecting it from multiple people, aggregating that information and then turning the aggregated data over to someone else," Fakhoury says. "In the end, there is still a capturing of content from the user at some point -- and that's what the potential (Wiretap Act) problem is."
Paul Ohm, a professor at the University of Colorado Law School currently working at the Federal Trade Commission, concluded in a law review article that federal privacy law "likely forbids many invasive forms of ISP monitoring."
At the industry event sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers in Los Angeles, Verizon's Diggins touted the carrier's extensive monitoring abilities: "We're able to analyze what people are viewing on their handsets. If you're at an MLB game, we can tell if you're viewing ESPN, we can tell if you're viewing MLB, we can tell what social networking sites you're activating, if you're sending out mobile usage content that's user-generated on video."
Verizon Wireless declined to answer questions that CNET posed last week about how its technology works, but it did provide this statement:
Verizon is committed to customer privacy and takes the issue seriously. The Precision program complies with the law and protects the privacy of our customers. The reports available through the program will not disclose the content of specific customer communications because each report will contain aggregate data from a large number of customers to protect privacy. Customers who do not want their data used as part of the program can opt-out at any time.