Heading out for the holiday season? Good luck with your travel plans, as
getting from point A to point B can an exercise in frustration this
time of year (might we suggest watching Planes, Trains &
Automobiles), but if you're a Skype user, one thing you won't have to
worry about is finding free Wi-Fi access in the U.S.
"Great news Skype friends! Skype is setting out to make travel a little
more pleasant this holiday season by offering a free hour of Internet
access to third-party wireless hotspots within the Skype Wi-Fi hotspot
footprint in select airports across the U.S.," Skype announced in a blog
post. "From December 21st thru December 27th, travelers passing through
or delayed in over 50 airports across the country will be able to
access third-party hotspots using Skype WiFi and connect with loved ones
via a Skype video or voice call for free."
This is a mostly platform agnostic promotion that is available on
Windows PCs, Macs, and iOS devices. You'll need to have Skype for
Windows or Skype for Mac installed, or have downloaded the Skype Wi-Fi
app on your iOS device. Other than than, simply sign in to your account
and see if you're in a supported hotspot.
Yikes! On a day already filled with wild mobile news (AT&T and
T-Mobile breaking up, anyone?), here comes another bombshell. The
International Trade Commission has just ruled in favor of Apple in a
patent dispute with HTC. The result? A ban on select HTC phones imported
in the U.S. The decision reportedly stated that "HTC violated two
claims tied to Apple patents and that the ban will take effect next
April. However, HTC will be allowed to import some products in order to
fulfill repair claims on phones that have already been purchased, and
can have the ban lifted if the company shows it has been able to work
around the patents mentioned in the ITC ruling."
In other words, this isn't likely to leave a lasting mark on HTC, as the
company will almost certainly bend to whatever rules they have to in
order to make sure things return to normal. But more than that, this
proves that Apple's claims against competitors aren't entirely baseless;
or, at least, that the courts don't think so. So, Samsung and HTC have
already had their wrists slapped; who is next?
When I was a kid, my mom was always parking and not remembering where
the car was. She would use a piece of paper and out the rows from the
door and the spots between the car and the front just to find where we
were parked. Today you don’t have to do that sort of thing thanks to
cool apps like find my Car Smart.
This is an app and hardware combo. The hardware part is on Kickstarter
now seeking funding to come to market. The project has all the funding
it needs and more right now with over $18,000 out of $10,000 needed. The
money is to buy the Bluetooth 4.0 dongles that use little power.
You leave the dongle in the car and the app, which is already available,
runs on the phone to tell you where you parked. The app will tell you
how far from your car you are and how long it has been parked there as
well.
Google and Mozilla have a common enemy in the browser wars in Microsoft,
but perhaps more importantly, the two software companies have an even
greater common interest: money. Since that's the case, it would be in
both of their interests to work together if it means lining their
pockets with cash, and that's what the two have decided to do.
If you poked your head on HotHardware over the weekend, you would have
read how Google is in position to deal a death blow to Firefox, or at
least make things very difficult for Mozilla (and if not, see here). The
upside for Google is that without Firefox in the picture, Chrome
becomes a ginormous No. 2 player in the browser market, and perhaps
picks up enough users to jump ahead of Internet Explorer. But by
renewing its search agreement with Mozilla, Google can ensure a steady
stream of ad revenue resulting from all those diehard Firefox fans.
"We generally don't disclose specific terms of business agreements. We
can confirm that we still have an agreement with Mozilla, but have
nothing new to share at this time," a Google spokesperson told CNet
News.
Mozilla wasn't willing to get into specifics either, but also confirmed
that its "search relationship with Google remains positive for both"
parties. Moreover, Mozilla expressed "confidence that search
partnerships will continue to be a strong and growing generator of
revenue for the foreseeable future."
Well, well -- what's this? It's the Windows Store, and no, we're not
talking retail. The company just took the wraps off of the official
Windows Store preview, a few months after teasing us with the name as
part of Windows 8 and the distribution point for Metro style apps. The
company had a launch party tonight in SF, where they described the app
policies and business terms for the Store, both of which are now
published to our Dev Center. They also announced our First Apps contest
for developers, and confirmed that we’re also inviting a select set of
developers to submit Metro style apps for inclusion in the Beta version
of the Store.
What's really wild is the revenue sharing. Unlike the traditional 70/30
split that has become so common, Microsoft's ushering in a new plan that
will no doubt go over well with developers. Up to 80% of the money made
from apps can be captured by devs. Perhaps it's best all shown in the
video below, and yes, this definitely makes the wait for Windows 8 that
much more difficult.
Windows Store Fact Sheet
December 2011
The Windows Store will make it easy for Windows customers to find, try
and buy useful, high-quality apps from practically anywhere in the
world. With code-named "Windows 8" and the Windows Store, developers can
enjoy a built-in distribution and update mechanism for their apps.
Built using HTML5 and JavaScript, the Windows Store is a fast, fluid,
full-screen Metro-style app taking advantage of the Metro-style design
principles inspired in Windows 8. Easy to build for, submit to and sell
through, the Windows Store is designed with app discoverability and
visibility in mind. The Windows Store will open its virtual doors to
consumers and begin allowing for submission of free apps for Windows 8
Beta in late February.
Unparalleled Global Reach
The Windows Store will provide developers with the greatest opportunity
of any platform, helping them reach millions of Windows 8-based PCs,
desktops, laptops and tablets. The Windows Store will be global,
enabling developers to sell their apps in 231 markets and in more than
100 languages. To make it easier and safer for customers, the Windows
Store is the single source for Metro-style apps, with a side-loading
feature for enterprises so IT professionals can manage and deliver apps
and updates to their users with ease and confidence.
Maximizing Developer Revenue
Today, the industry standard is for developers to make 70 percent of
every dollar spent on their apps. The Windows Store aims to maximize
developer revenue and provide greater financial opportunity:
• Revenue model. Successful apps make more money on Windows by earning
80 percent of every dollar of revenue earned after passing $25,000
(U.S.) in total revenue. The first $25,000 (U.S.) is paid out at the
industry standard 70 percent revenue share.
• Developer account. To sell apps in the Windows Store, developers must
purchase an annual developer subscription of $49 (U.S.) for individuals,
$99 (U.S.) for companies.
• App pricing. Developers can set the price of their app starting at
$1.49 (U.S.), using $.50 (U.S.) increments up to $5 (U.S.). Increments
increase at higher prices.
Flexible Business Models
The Windows Store will allow for flexible and innovative business
models. Windows has long been about choice, and the Windows Store will
put the developer in control:
• In-app purchases and transaction platforms. Developers using
Microsoft's transaction service will earn 70 percent on revenue from
in-app purchases until the app has earned $25,000 (U.S.). After passing
that amount of gross revenue between the app sales and in-app purchase
revenue, they will receive 80 percent share. Developers are also free to
utilize alternate transaction services for in-app purchases other than
the one provided by Microsoft, and Microsoft will keep 0 percent of the
proceeds.
• Advertising. Developers can use Microsoft's ad platform or another third-party vendor.
Optimized for Discoverability
One challenge for today's developer is having apps stand out and be
easily discoverable. A similar challenge exists for customers to search,
locate and download the apps they want, from exciting new games to
productivity tools they already know and trust on Windows. The Windows
Store is designed with discoverability and promotion as top priorities:
• App listing page. Developers can use this space to pitch their app and
provide details, including a description, features, screen shots, app
reviews and capabilities.
• Trials. Developers can offer apps as a trial without writing a single
line of code and set the trial period to reduce barriers to adoption and
eliminate the need for "lite" versions.
• Curation and discovery. Algorithmically generated lists highlighting
frequently downloaded apps by category complemented by curated spotlight
and topic sections help consumers find and download the apps they want.
• Search. Although the Windows Store will be the primary vehicle for
consumers to find and download apps, Microsoft helps app discovery
outside the Windows Store. All app listing pages will be exposed to Bing
and other search engines.
• Promotion through Windows Internet Explorer 10. Additional potential
for visibility is built into Internet Explorer 10. With a single line of
markup, developers can have an app site icon appear in Internet
Explorer 10 that will take Windows 8 users directly to the listing page
in the Windows Store to download the app.
Transparent Approval Process
The goals of the Windows Store app certification process are to ensure
trusted, quality experiences for consumers while being as simple and
transparent as possible for developers. Developers can test their app
through the Windows App Certification Kit (ACK) and troubleshoot any
technical issues before submitting to the Windows Store. After
submission, they will be able to use the Windows Store Dashboard to
watch their app every step of the way. The Windows Store App
Certification Requirements
(http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/windows/apps) detail criteria for
testing and certifying apps for the Windows Store.
• App approval policies. In addition to technical certification,
Microsoft will evaluate Metro-style apps against a set of clear and
published policies before the app is ultimately published to the Windows
Store. The full policy, based on core values, can be viewed at .
• Application Certification Kit. The new ACK, available now for the
Windows Developer Preview, is a single tool for self-assessment to
ensure all technical compliance required for apps. It improves on the
Windows Software Logo Kit with a new, simplified user interface,
improved multiuser tests and auto-detection of app type. The ACK
includes automated tests looking for such things as app manifest
compliance, app reliability and security, and proper use of
platform-supported APIs. The ACK runs the same tests as those run during
the submission process, so by using the ACK first, developers know if
their app meets technical compliance and can troubleshoot issues before
submission to the Windows Store, saving valuable time.
• Windows Store Dashboard. The new dashboard will help developers see
where their app is in the submission process, with notifications every
step of the way. After submission, the dashboard will provide useful app
telemetry data, which allows developers to continually improve their
apps. The dashboard will include the ability to view reports on
downloads, revenue, usage, in-app transactions, customer ratings, market
trends and crash data. These new reports will be consistent and
actionable so developers can find and fix issues quickly and
efficiently.
If you should happen to run across a USB flash drive on the subway, you
may want to leave it there, assuming you weren't planning to take it to
lost and found to begin with. There's a good chance it's infected with
malware, and that doesn't just apply to USB keys you find on the ground,
but ones you buy at auction, too.
Security firm Sophos said it studied 50 USB keys bought at a major
transit authority's Lost Property auction, and of those 50, two-thirds
were infected with malware. That's bad news for the buyer, and the
previous owner doesn't get off scot-free either. The study also revealed
that drives were filled with information about many of the former
owners, including their family, friends, and colleagues.
"We found 62 infected files in total. The worst key contained six
infected files, representing four separate items of malware," Sophos
said in a blog post. "We didn't find any OS X malware. But nine of the
keys appeared to belong to Macintosh owners (or at least had been used
extensively on Macs); seven of these were infected.
"In other words, if you're a Windows user, don't assume that you can
automatically trust everything that comes from your Apple-loving
friends. And even if you're one of those Mac users who is opposed to the
concept of anti-virus software, consider softening your stance as a
service to the community as a whole."
Another fun tidbit: none of the 50 USB keys were encrypted, though none
contained any "smoking guns," like insider trading tips, credit card
dumps, criminal plots, etc. There were, however, files containing tax
deductions, minutes of an activists' meeting, photo albums of family and
friends, software and web source code, and other information you
typically wouldn't want to go around sharing willy-nilly.
Microsoft didn't waste any time swooping in and snatching up the domain
name SkypeSexFinder.com after it became available, according to Whois
records online. Fusible was first to discover the domain name
registration and noted that it was redirecting visitors to its Bing
search engine, though not Bing's homepage. Instead, it brings up Bing
search results for SkypeSexFinder, which lists plenty of sultry links.
It doesn't appear Microsoft is trying to assist sex starved Web surfers
with a fetish for Skype chat, and it's far more likely the
SkypeSexFinder.com domain grab was simply a preventative measure. If
that's the case, Microsoft might be facing a losing battle because it
can't possible lay claim to ever naughty Skype domain derivative out
there, a task that's now twice as hard with the new availability of .XXX
domains.
Microsoft acquired Skype for $8.5 billion in a deal it closed in October
of this year. At the time, Microsoft said Skype was being used and
"loved by hundreds of millions of people around the world."
