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Friday, October 25, 2013

AMAZON, still unprofitable, passes Microsoft's headcount -- MICROSOFT profit crushes it -- King Chrome top browser -- Last qtr: iPad 15M, Surface 1M -- LINKEDIN Intro reads your email

October 25, 2013 06:00 PDT | 09:00 EDT | 13:00 UTC

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>> STAT DU JOUR: Same old Amazon: All sales, no profit, by Brad Stone: "Amazon just posted a healthy $17.09 billion in net sales during its third quarter, a 24 percent jump compared with the same period a year ago. But the company lost .09 cents per share. This is what amounts for good news to Amazon shareholders: analysts had predicted sales of $16.77 billion and accurately predicted that nine cent loss. Naturally, shares rose about one and a half percent in after-hours trading." BloombergBusinessweek
>>>> Amazon Web Services continue to tear it up GigaOM
>>>> Amazon hits 109,800 employees, passing Microsoft's headcount for the first time TNW
>>>> Amazon added 'millions' of Prime members in Q3, thanks in part to streaming video GigaOM
>>>> Amazon's set-top box runs into further delays The Verge
>>>> TechBrief wonders: When will Kiva robots (now 1,382) outnumber employees?

>> STAT DU JOUR DEUX: Microsoft crushes FQ1 expectations with revenue of $18.5B, EPS of $0.62, $400M in Surface top line, by Alex Wilhelm: "Enterprise, strong - Consumer, middling...net income was $5.24 billion, and its operating income was $6.33 billion. Microsoft ended the quarter with just over $80 billion in cash and equivalents... keep in mind that most of that cash is overseas... Surface revenue for the quarter was $400 million, with Microsoft reporting that that figure represents 'sequential growth in revenue and units sold over the prior quarter.' That figure is almost half of its former tally for several quarters, including launch...That decent Surface figure is contrasted in the quarter by slipping Windows OEM revenue. According to Microsoft, revenue derived from selling Windows to its OEM partners fell 7 percent on a year-over-year basis." TechCrunch
>>>> Microsoft hits 2 million-plus Office 365 Home Premium subscriber mark ZDNet
>>>> The PC slump finally hits Microsoft, though cloud cushions the blow ReadWrite
>>>>> Microsoft sells another 1.2M Xbox 360s in Q1; console approaching 80M in lifetime sales VentureBeat
>>>> Microsoft plunks a 17-foot-tall Surface tablet down in London's Trafalgar Square TechHive
>>>> TechBrief wonders: How much does Microsoft's new accounting method impact the picture?

>> STAT DU JOUR TROIS: Across desktop and mobile, Chrome is used more than Firefox, IE, and Opera combined, by Emil Protalinski: "Social analytics firm Shareaholic today released browser share data for the year 2013 so far. There are quite a lot of figures to go over, but the biggest trend that immediately jumps out is Chrome's utter dominance. In September, Chrome was used more than Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Opera combined." TNW

>> TO SERVE MAN: LinkedIn 'Intro'duces Insecurity, by Bishop Fox: "LinkedIn released a new product today called Intro. They call it 'doing the impossible,' but some might call it 'hijacking email.' Why do we say this? Consider the following: Intro reconfigures your iOS device (e.g. iPhone, iPad) so that all of your emails go through LinkedIn's servers. You read that right. Once you install the Intro app, all of your emails, both sent and received, are transmitted via LinkedIn's servers. LinkedIn is forcing all your IMAP and SMTP data through their own servers and then analyzing and scraping your emails for data pertaining to...whatever they feel like." Bishop Fox

>> PRO TIP: Mozilla's Lightbeam tool will expose who is looking over your shoulder on the Web, by Adam Sherwin: "Users who activate Lightbeam will be able to see a real-time visualisation of every site they visit and every third-party that is active on those sites, including commercial organisations which might potentially be sharing your data.... Mozilla wants users who install the Lightbeam add-on to Firefox, to crowd-source their data, to produce the first 'big picture' view of Web tracking, revealing which third-parties are most active.... Lightbeam promises a 'Wizard of Oz" moment for the web, "where users collectively provide a way to pull back the curtains to see its inner workings," Mozilla claimed." The Independent

>> FIRST LOOK: Twitter prices its IPO at a conservative $11B, by Peter Kafka: "Twitter said it is looking to sell its shares for $17 to $20 each in its upcoming public offering. If the company sells at the top end of its range, it would raise $1.6 billion in its IPO, and value the company at around $11 billion. That $20 figure is significant because it's less than the $20.62 value Twitter assigned to its shares on August 5, the last time the company went through a valuation before letting the public take a look at its financials." AllThingsD
>>>> Twitter hires NBC's Vivian Schiller to boost its news cred PCWorld

>> SPY VS. SPY: NSA monitored calls of 35 world leaders after US official handed over contacts, by James Ball: "NSA encourages senior officials in its 'customer' departments, such the White House, State and the Pentagon, to share their 'Rolodexes' so the agency can add the phone numbers of leading foreign politicians to their surveillance systems... one unnamed US official handed over 200 numbers, including those of the 35 world leaders, none of whom is named. These were immediately 'tasked' for monitoring by the NSA... Angela Merkel on Wednesday accused the US of tapping her mobile phone. After Merkel's allegations became public, White House press secretary Jay Carney issued a statement that said the US 'is not monitoring and will not monitor' the German chancellor's communications." The Guardian
>>>> Organizers hope for big crowd at surveillance protest Saturday in Washington DC ITWorld

>> WEARABLES WATCH: Move over Google Glass, here comes $300 competition from France, by Cyrus Farivar: "The 70-gram glasses themselves felt like large industrial protective eyewear with a huge case enclosing all the electronics on the right side... At least 11 companies are battling for your face." Ars Technica
>>>> Patent filing shows Samsung preps electronic eyewear Wall Street Journal Digits

>> BIG PICTURE: The value of zero-priced software, by Horace Dediu: "Apple's latest product launch (new OS X, iPads, Macs and iWork/iLife) came with a change in pricing for software. OS X and iWork and iLife and updates are now made available free on new Macs and, in the case of the suites, on iOS devices as well... usage of the products determines their value and therefore placing powerful software in the hands of more users means they will value the entire system more. This leads to the notion of greater 'stickiness' or 'lock-in' but also to higher satisfaction and loyalty, rate of upgrades, and even more third-party purchases and yet more usage." Asymco
>>>> Apple, Microsoft and free software TechCrunch
>>>> The truth about "Free" Mac App Store software upgrades in OS X Mavericks MacTrast
>>>> OS X Mavericks adoption reaches 5.5 percent 24 hours following public release Chitika

>> GRAND THEFT AUTOUPDATE: Apple offering 'free' updates to all owners of Aperture, iWork and iLive; not worried about unethical users, by Jordan Golson: "As part of its efforts to ensure that all eligible software owners are able to upgrade to the latest versions of its software on the Mac App Store, Apple is intentionally allowing users with any version of Aperture, iLife and iWork installed on their system to upgrade to the latest versions on the Mac App Store -- even illegally acquired or trial versions" MacRumors

>> FIRST LOOK: Former Googler's Cover app makes Android lock screens more useful, by Liz Gannes: "An Android app called Cover has developed a new version of the Android lock screen that adjusts based on each user's habits around time, place and other factors. With permission, Cover monitors users' daily activity. Then it picks the six apps it thinks users are most likely to want at any one moment, and lines them up on the left side of the phone." AllThingsD
>>>> Former Googler's would-be WebEx killer Highfive gets $13.5M before even launching AllThingsD

>> FOR THE LOSE: Microsoft Surface 2 deep-dive review: Better hardware, but still with Windows RT, by Preston Gralla: "Surface 2 is no winner. And that's too bad, because it's a well-designed tablet with solid hardware and an improvement over the original Surface RT -- but it's doomed by a problematic underlying operating system and a too-high price. It's not likely to save the Windows RT operating system for Microsoft by itself." Computerworld

>> DEMOTIVATIONAL POSTER: Measuring America's decline, in three charts, by John Cassidy: "In basic literacy, numeracy, and problem-solving skills... younger Americans are at or near the bottom of the standings among advanced countries." New Yorker

>> Samsung's profit up 26 percent on memory chip, smartphone sales InfoWorld

>> PHP.net compromised and used to attack visitors InfoWorld

>> Instagram provides details on "sponsored" media ads in feeds GigaOM

>> Zynga beats estimates, but user base continues to crumble CNet

>> Taiwan fines Samsung US $340K for defaming HTC with fabricated reviews PCWorld

>> Healthcare.gov: Why didn't the White House use WordPress? Politico

>> Apple cuts MacBook Pro prices up to 13% Computerworld

>> New Relic to mine performance data for business insights PCWorld

>> Tweetbot 3 for iPhone arrives: gorgeous new design, same great features 9to5Mac

>> Self-driving cars could save more than 21,700 lives, $450B a year Computerworld

>> File-sharing site UploaderTalk was a year-long pirate honeypot TorrentFreak

>> A (relatively easy to understand) primer on elliptic curve cryptography Ars Technica

>> TWEET O' THE DAY: "The police came for me as I was using my 3D printer - so I made a bolt for the door" @rupertg

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Source: http://www.infoworld.com/t/technology-business/amazon-still-unprofitable-passes-microsofts-headcount-microsoft-profit-crushes-it-king-chrome-top-brows?source=rss_business_intelligence
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UK Police Seize 3D-Printed Gun Parts That Are Actually 3D Printer Parts

Things are getting a little futuristic in Manchester, England, where police recently arrested a man for allegedly 3D printing gun parts. They seized said parts, but after the images made their way online, the internet fired back with a startling revelation. Those aren't 3D-printed gun parts. Those are 3D-printed 3D printer parts.

Ed Helms Hosts the Star-Studded STARS Benefit Gala

Stepping out to support education, stars flocked to the STARS 2013 Benefit Gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Wednesday (October 23).

Hosted by Ed Helms, the evening supported the Fulfillment Fund, which empowers educationally and economically underserved students

Hitting up the red carpet at the event was Miranda Cosgrove, who wore a pretty black sleeveless top with short green skirt. Also in attendance were Benjamin Bratt and Allison Janney.

Providing the entertainment at the swanky affair was Pharrell Williams, as Sidney Poitier was honored with the Founders' Humanitarian Award.

Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/charity/ed-helms-hosts-star-studded-stars-benefit-gala-948864
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Here Comes The FUD: UK Police Claim To Find 3D-Printed Gun Parts In Raid On Home

Ad Targeting Startup Drawbridge Hires Tech Veteran Kate Burns To Expand In Europe

It begins. The Greater Manchester Police in the UK raided the home of a criminal suspect where they found a 3D printer and 3D printed parts. With great pride and fanfare the police reported:

During the searches, officers found a 3D printer and what is suspected to be a 3D plastic magazine and trigger which could be fitted together to make a viable 3D gun.

Sadly, they were quite wrong. The items in question, a little piece that looks like a trigger (shown here) and something that looks like a magazine, are actually a poorly-printed Replicator 2 drive block and a filament spool holder – essentially two parts you’d build if you were building another 3D printer. The criminal masterminds also printed it out of PLA plastic, which is not ideal for heavy-duty use, let alone firing a projectile. The printer, pictured above, is a Makerbot 2 which, in fact, only prints PLA. The jeers, needless to say, have been flying. https://twitter.com/Codepope/status/393661206000840704 https://twitter.com/foxsoup/status/393724792194760704 https://twitter.com/thefalken/status/393725471881326592 This sort of fear, uncertainty, and doubt will soon be flowing fast and heavy from “authorities” all over the world. What Cody Wilson at Defense Distributed has done by creating a media spectacle around his nearly useless 3D gun is set back the 3D printing industry considerably in the eyes of the uninitiated. While his gun works and can be fired, it requires far better materials and a higher-resolution printer to prevent death or maiming of the person behind the trigger. This “gun,” on the other hand, is simply plastic scrap. via Buzzfeed

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/_xMn4eKHND0/
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Deal of the Day: Mobi Products Soft Shell Case for HTC One

The Oct. 25 Deal of the Day is the Mobi Products Soft Shell Case for HTC One. Made of a highly durable TPU material that feels great when gripped, this soft shell case features anti-slip properties that gives your HTC One more grip on all types of surfaces. Completely flexible, this case is custom fit for your HTC One and provides protection against drops and scratches at an affordable price!

The Mobi Products Soft Shell Case is available for just $4.75, 68% off today only. Grab yours while supplies last

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Canada Deal of the Day

OtterBox Commuter Series Case for Motorola RAZR HD

Today Only: $19.95 + BUY ONE GET ONE FREE!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/RspKydlhTNk/story01.htm
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N. Dakota oil spills go unpublicized

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota, the nation's No. 2 oil producer behind Texas, recorded nearly 300 oil pipeline spills in less than two years, state documents show. None was reported to the public, officials said.

According to records obtained by The Associated Press, the pipeline spills, many of them small, are among some 750 "oil field incidents" that have occurred since January 2012 without public notification.

"That's news to us," said Don Morrison, director of the Dakota Resource Council, an environmental-minded landowner group with more than 700 members in North Dakota.

Dennis Fewless, director of water quality for the state Health Department, said regulators are reviewing the state's policies for when to publicly report such incidents after a massive spill was discovered last month in northwestern North Dakota by a wheat farmer. State and company officials kept it quiet for 11 days — and only said something after the AP asked about it.

North Dakota regulators, like in many other oil-producing states, are not obliged to tell the public about oil spills under state law. But in a state that's producing a million barrels a day and saw nearly 2,500 miles of new pipelines last year, many believe the risk of spills will increase, posing a bigger threat to farmland and water.

"We're certainly looking at that now and what would be a threshold for reporting to the public," Fewless said. Taking notice of the recent criticism, the state issued a statement Oct .17 on an estimated 7-barrel oil spill in Divide County, which borders Canada in far northwestern North Dakota.

The state also is mulling a better system to track spills in-house, Fewless said, from their origin to cleanup status.

"We really have to dig through our data base to get specifics," said Fewless, adding that a more user-friendly tracking system for regulators may be developed.

Such a system would be valuable for the public, too, said Louis Kuster, who raises wheat near Stanley in northwest North Dakota. Farmers and ranchers rely on land for their livelihood, so information on spills that could threaten land or water supplies "absolutely is important for us to know," he said.

Between coffee-shop talk and chatting with neighbors, nothing much happens around the fourth-generation farmer's land without him knowing about it — except when it comes to oil spills.

"What you don't know, nobody is going to tell you," Kuster said.

Earlier this month, Kuster and his neighbors noticed truckloads of oil-tainted dirt being hauled away from an adjacent farm. It was allegedly from a broken pipeline, but no one really knows for sure, he said.

"We have no idea how big the spill is and why it happened," he said. "I'd try to get more information from the state but I'm too busy getting my harvest in."

North Dakota officials have urged pipeline industry to officials to quickly — and safely — expand the network to keep pace with record production in the oil patch. The state has about 17,500 miles of pipelines, including the addition last year of 2,470 miles, roughly the distance from New York City to Los Angeles.

For almost two weeks, no one knew about a break in a Tesoro Corp. pipeline that was discovered Sept. 29 in a remote area near Tioga. Officials say no water was contaminated or wildlife hurt, but the spill was one of the largest in North Dakota's history, estimated at 20,600 barrels. Oil oozed over an area the size of seven football fields.

Records obtained by the AP show that so far this year, North Dakota has recorded 139 pipeline leaks that spilled a total of 735 barrels of oil. In 2012, there were 153 pipeline leaks that spilled 495 barrels of oil, data show. A little more than half of the spills companies reported to North Dakota occurred "on-site," where a well is connected to a pipeline, and most were fewer than 10 barrels. The remainder of the spills occurred along the state's labyrinth of pipelines.

"The public really should know about these," Morrison with the landowner group said. "If there is a spill, sometimes a landowner may not even know about it. And if they do, people think it's an isolated incident that's only happening to them."

North Dakota also had 291 "incidents" this year that leaked a total of about 2,209 barrels of oil. Data show that all but 490 barrels were contained and cleaned up at the well site. In 2012, there were 168 spills reported that leaked 1,089 barrels of oil; all but 376 barrels were contained on site, data show. Only one incident — a crash involving an oil truck last year — was reported publicly.

Department of Mineral Resources director Lynn Helms — the state's top oil regulator — said regulators worry about "over-reporting" spills. The goal, he said, is to find a balance to so that "the public is aware of what's happening but not overwhelmed by little incidents."

Kuster believes most people would like to immediately know about even the smallest spill, because even a barrel of spilled oil likely could ruin water sources and take untold acres of cropland out of production. He also said timely, accurate and accessible information would hold companies and regulators accountable.

"It would tell me if there is enough oversight and why these accidents happen and if they could have been avoided," he said. "Right now, you don't know if there is a spill unless you find it yourself."

___

Follow James MacPherson on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/macphersonja

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-newsbreak-100s-nd-oil-spills-not-publicized-162205382--finance.html
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U.K. Official Urges U.S. Government To Adopt A Digital Core

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Does this sound familiar? A national IT project plagued with high-profile problems, integration breakdowns involving contractors, and taxpayers left footing a multimillion-dollar price tag: The scenario's playing out with HealthCare.gov, but a similar one in the U.K. led to major reforms.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/NprProgramsATC/~3/D-aeZQsq2hE/u-k-official-urges-u-s-government-to-adopt-a-digital-core
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