Tech News Today 487

Tech News Today Episode 487

Tech News Today 487: Linux Not Left 4 Dead

Valve coming to Linux? Zune dies one more time, Google Drive's terms of disservice, and more.

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Hosts

• Tom Merritt (@acedtect)
  • TomMerritt.com
• Sarah Lane (@SarahLane)
  • SarahLane.com
• Iyaz Akhtar (@Iyaz)
• Jason Howell (@RayGun01)
• David Pierce
  • theverge.com

Top Stories

• WWDC 2012 sells out in two hours: Resales forbidden
• Apple's WWDC 2012 will be June 11-15, focusing on iOS and OS X (Update: sold out)
• WWDC Scholarship page
• Apple Design Awards 2012 nominations open
• developer.apple.com/wwdc/awards
  • WWDC announced, will take place from June 11-15 in San Francisco, where developers will "learn about the future of iOS and OS X."
  • Tickets for WWDC 2012 went on sale this morning and sold out in two hours. Apple updated their site to announce sellout.
  • In 2011, it took around twelve hours to sellout. In 2010, it took 8 days.
  • $1599 per ticket. Developers as young as 13 can attend WWDC if parent/guardian that is also a registered developer purchases the ticket.
  • Apple also offering a limited number of scholarships for young developers. Deadline is May 2.
  • According to Apple’s new policies, “WWDC tickets (including activation codes) are non-transferable and may not be sold, resold, or auctioned in any way.”
  • Organizations can buy up to 5 tix & can change who's going before show with Apple approval.
  • No refunds or returns; if you lose your pass, you'll be charged full $1,599 to replace it.
  • Apple has begun accepting nominations for the 2012 Apple Design Awards for well-designed, state of the art, and innovative apps, The app must be available on the App Store or the Mac App Store by May 1, 2012 to qualify. Apps don’t necessarily have to be nominated in order to win an Apple Design Award and neither does the number of nominations decide the winner. The winning apps will be announced at this year’s WWDC 2012.

• Microsoft readying cross-platform, Xbox music service, report says
• Exclusive: Microsoft to preview 'Woodstock' Xbox music service at E3
• Microsoft looks forward: will require Windows Phone 7.5 to purchase apps, jettisons Zune desktop app purchasing
  • The Verge reports that Microsoft will offer a new streaming music service that will work with Windows 8, iOS, Android and Xbox as it is playable in a BROWSER
  • No plugins and it'll have Facebook integration for playlist and track sharing
  • There will also be an iTunes Match like service
  • The service codenamed "Woodstock" would debut in sneak peek form at E3, but will have the final branding of Xbox
  • Expected to launch with Windows 8 and Win Phone 8 devices
  • Zune Music Pass - allows subscribers to download an unlimited # of songs as long as you pay for a subscription of $10/month.
  • Microsoft has officially made changes to the Marketplace for WP apps - Zune Desktop software won't have WP apps any more. You can get OS updates there still.
  • If you want to download or update your apps, MS has also made it mandatory that WP devices run Tango (WP 7.5)

• Google clones Dropbox: lock, stock, and privacy gaffe
• Who owns your stuff in the Google Drive cloud?
• Side by side comparison of terms of service G Drive, Sky Drive and Drop Box
• More comparison with Apple. Microsoft, SugarSync and Box
• Sundar Pichai: Google Drive Is About Context, Where Competitors Are About Files
• Google Set to Meld GDrive With Chrome OS
• Google Drive for Linux incoming
• Terms of Service for Google Drive - (Applies to Google Service generally)
  • "When you upload or otherwise submit content to our Services, you give Google (and those we work with) a worldwide license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify, create derivative works (such as those resulting from translations, adaptations or other changes we make so that your content works better with our Services), communicate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute such content."
  • The rights that you grant in this license are for the limited purpose of operating, promoting and improving our Services, and to develop new ones. This license continues even if you stop using our Services (for example, for a business listing that you have added to Google Maps).
  • “Some of our Services allow you to submit content. You retain ownership of any intellectual property rights that you hold in that content. In short, what belongs to you stays yours.”
  • Statement from Google given to LA Times: "As our Terms of Service make clear, 'what belongs to you stays yours.' You own your files and control their sharing, plain and simple. Our Terms of Service enable us to give you the services you want — so if you decide to share a document with someone, or open it on a different device, you can."
  • Wired quotes Google SVP of Chrome and Apps Sundar Pichai “We’ll…effectively integrate [Google] Drive into the native file system of Chrome OS,” says Scott Johnson, Google’s Google Drive product manager. “All the core OS functionality will use [Google] Drive as a place to store data — if that’s what you opt in to.” Google Drive will integrate will version 20 of Chrome OS
  • Google Docs community manager Teresa Wu, who when questioned on Google+ about Linux support told users to “hang tight” as the version for their open-source based machines was being “worked on.”

Discussion Stories

• Android chief: We didn't believe we needed a license from Sun
• This was the original 'Google Phone' presented in 2006
• Google wanted to subsidize a $9.99 unlimited data plan for Android phones
  • In World Series coverage, Andy Rubin wrapped up his testimony this morning in the Oracle-Google trial. His big line: "We did not believe that we needed a license from Sun."
  • Meanwhile the Verge is showing off some choice findings from the court. One involved Google wanting to subsidize the T-Mobile data plan to make it $9.99 2006. to subsidize the reduce cost, the company would forgo the commission it earned from T-Mobile for referring Android buyers to its online store.
  • Also a mockup of the proposed Google phone from the same year.
  • At the time, Google bemoaned that "basic phone user interfaces and the ability to integrate as a 3rd party are still a barrier," telling T-Mobile that Mountain View's expertise combined with the carrier's unlimited data plan would be a win-win.
  • At that time, touchscreen support wasn't a requirement — in fact, the baseline specs required two soft menu keys, indicating that touchscreens weren't really in the plan at all.

• Sprint posts $863 million loss, stays upbeat on subscribers
• Sprint plans to bring WiMax to Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile
• 2nd UPDATE: Sprint Reverts To Familiar Theme: Contract User Losses
• Sprint confirms unlimited data plan for next iPhone
  • Q1 2012 Sprint lost $863 million, or a loss of 29 cents per share. During the same period in 2011, the company posted a net loss of $439 million. Sprint generated $7.2 billion in revenue during the quarter, which was actually up 7 percent year-over-year.
  • Loss attributed to depreciation related to shutdown of Nextel
  • Average Revenue Per USer jumped 6.9% to $4.03 -- 1.1 million net subscriber additions - 44% of iPhone activations went to new customers
  • Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile customers will be getting 4G -- albeit the older WiMax variant -- in the next quarter.
  • If the next iteration of the iPhone arrives with LTE, Sprint will continue to offer a no-strings unlimited plan, CEO Dan Hesse told CNET.

• Valve is developing Steam for Linux, says Michael Larabel of Phoronix
• Michael Larabel Twitter feed
• Valve's Gabe Newell Talks Linux Steam Client, Source Engine
  • According to Michael Larabel of Phoronix on Twitter yesterday "#valve does have Linux games coming plus other very positive Linux plans… I'll briefly post some screenshots tonight"
  • He did. And says a video is coming.
  • Valve has a working version of the Source Engine running natively on Linux, and the first game that's being demoed on the system is Left 4 Dead 2.

News Fuse

• Facebook is teaming up with McAfee, Norton, Sophos and Trend Micro to launch an antivirus marketplace allowing users to download 6-month free trials of software Facebook will also expand its URL blacklist system to incorporate the malicious URL databases from McAfee, Norton, Microsoft, Sophos, and Trend Micro. No mention of free antivirus software from AVG, AVira or Avast.

• Look, it's a bird, it's a plane, nope - it's a Galaxy Note with T-Mobile branding. TMo News posted images of the Note and not only did it have T-Mobile branding, but it also had T-Mobile apps. This just adds to the leaks as screenshots and user agent string data also point to the Note heading to T-Mobile.

• A Digitimes report says that the next Nexus phone will be made by Samsung again. Why didn't Google use HTC? After all, it did make the original Nexus One. Well Digitimes also that HTC is busy with Facebook and the two are working together to build a phone that could big the market in the third quarter of this year at earliest.

• HTC, Facebook jointly developing smartphone, say sources

• The source code to VMWare's ESX hypervisor has been leaked. A hacker calling himself "Hardcore Charlie" posted it on Pastebin on April 8th and VMWare has since confirmed the leak. Hardcore CHarlie says he got the source code by breaching the corporate network of the China National Electronics Import-Export Corporation. VMWare says that it is investigating and will provide updates.

• A lot of people aren't too fond of CISPA and neither is the White House's Office of Management and Budget, which said the bill could undermine Americans' privacy and civil liberties. The House said it will modify CISPA's language tomorrow to narrow the definition of "cyber threat information," but the ACLU still takes issue with the proposed changes saying, "The amendments also still allow this information to be sent directly to the National Security Agency and other military offices instead of keeping civilians in control of Americans' Internet info."

• House set to revise CISPA language to add more privacy protection

• We know you can never get enough about the Oracle Google spat - so here's more! Oracle would like to assert a patent against Google. Here's the snag - the patent was invalidated and Oracle had already agreed to drop the patent from the case, as long as the invalidation was not overturned before the trial. Trial's started and then the patent rejection was overturned. Oracle argues that the patent part of the case hasn't started, so it should get another chance.

• Solidoodle is introducing a $500 3D printer. The company is headed by Sam Cervantes who formerly was the COO of 3D printing company MakerBot. The Solidoodle printer is pre-assembled and according to Cervantes a 200 pound man could sand on the printer while it's printing.

• Popular Chinese microblogging service Sina Weibo has deleted several accounts including that of Li Delin who is the senior editor of Capital Week, a Chinese Business Magazine. Li's post led to rumors of a coup in Beijing. The service announced that "criminal elements have used Sina Weibo to create and spread malicious political rumors…" It's not known whether the move was brought on by governmental pressure or not.

• The FCC approved AT&T's transfer of AWS spectrum to T-Mobile. The transfer is part of T-Mobile's consolation prize after its failed quest to become one with AT&T. T-Mobile gets more spectrum in 128 markets and ought to help the company build out its LTE network.

Randomizer

• Project Aether films northern lights at 100,000 feet using a GoPro camera on a balloon (video)

Calendar

• HTC One S went on sale today.
• Sprint to Take Pre-Orders for HTC EVO 4G LTE on May 7
• SpaceX launch its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft on May 7 to the International Space Station. SpaceX had originally planned to launch the spacecraft next week, but it postponed the launch to give engineers more time to complete preflight testing and analysis. According to the company, the launch is set for 6:38 a.m. PT, weather permitting, at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
• Nokia targets May 14th for Lumia 900 UK release. equipped with HSPA+ connectivity in lieu of the LTE that's available on its AT&T variant. - Nokia still ramping up production of the Lumia 900, all of its capacity is currently committed to the LTE-equipped American model shipping to AT&T customers. Demand for the phone has "exceeded expectations" so far and the company's doing everything it can to produce more units to satisfy it.

INCOMING

Voicemail

• Stewart on the cloud's effect on phone storage
• Google Drive and grandfathering plans

Email

"Hi,

Just an FYI, I found out this morning. You can't put Skydrive on a PC that has Windows XP ( I know, but both my PC's have XP, which runs very well on them) I then read a review on Google Drive, and it will work on XP.

Bob Cardone Captainbob in Chat."

Sponsors

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Ford

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Production Information

• Edited by: Jason
• Notes:

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