It’s been a long road, hasn’t it? Well, in some respects, it hasn’t — in fact, it’s only been about two years since development of Windows Phone 7 as we know it today kicked off — but when you consider that this product will be replacing Windows Mobile 6.5, that puts things in proper perspective. In fact, even the very latest maintenance releases of good ol’ WinMo are based on the same rickety underpinnings as version 5.0 was way back in 2005, at a time when WVGA smartphone displays were science fiction, 4G networks were a good two Gs beyond the average American’s comprehension, and Engadget looked like this. Nowadays, it’s a very different game; eight year-olds have access to mobile email, your phone understands German, and “Yelp” is a verb (okay, actually Yelp is a verb). Indeed, mobile devices are the new PCs — and companies like Apple and Google are dominating an industry that had once been practically handed to Microsoft on a silver platter. No one — either inside or outside of Redmond — is arguing that change isn’t desperately (and quickly) needed, because it simply isn’t enough to dominate the desktop anymore.
In light of all that, you could call Windows Phone 7 a desperation move to become relevant in the pocket again. Call it whatever you like, but regardless, brand loyalty isn’t going to save this product — it simply has to be good to sell. Scratch that; it actually has to be nearly flawless in a world where iOS 4 and Gingerbread play. Microsoft still has a few months before it intends to get the first volley of Windows Phone 7-based products to the marketplace, but we’ve recently been provided with reference hardware — a not-for-retail Samsung called “Taylor” that’s closely modeled on the Symbian-based i8910HD — to get a feel for where they’re at as the clock ticks down. Is this shaping up to be a killer platform for the next generation of high-end smartphones? And more importantly, can it win customers? Read on for our first take.
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REUTERS
A highly anticipated test designed to measure pressure within BP’s ruptured Gulf of Mexico oil well began Thursday after a delay caused by leaking equipment.
A short time later, BP Senior Vice President Kent Wells announced that for the first time in months, no oil was flowing into the Gulf. This was part of the test, as BP measures pressure in the well to see how it’s holding. Higher pressure readings mean the well is containing the oil, while lower pressure means some is leaking out.
At the moment, it is “too soon” to conclude results because “this is a test,” BP Chief Operating Officer Doug Suttles said. BP will formally review data from the test with government officials every six hours, Suttles said, so a key time will occur later Thursday night. Read the rest of Good News: BP Strikes Success, Stops Oil Leak (for now) »
The Debate on Continuing Unemployment Benefits continue almost 2 months after they expired, and as unemployment rates continue to increase.
It’s a terrible calamity that those in charge never should have allowed to happened, it’s doing incalculable damage that will last for generations, and even as the destruction continues to spread, the government seems powerless to stop it.
No, I’m not talking about BP and the Gulf. I’m talking about President Obama, the millions of unemployed Americans, and the gulf between what needs to be done to deal with the jobs crisis and what is actually being done. It speaks volumes about our country and our deeply dysfunctional political system that not only have we been unable to bring the unemployment rate down, we can’t even pass a bill extending unemployment benefits. Read the rest of The Unemployment Benefits Stalemate: Our Broken Politics on Full Display »
A federal judge issued an injunction against a government moratorium on oil drilling.
The first relief well BP is drilling in the Gulf of Mexico could intercept the leaking Deepwater Horizon well in seven to 10 days, the man heading the federal response to the oil crisis said Thursday.
Retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said the length of time it will take to seal the well will depend on “where the oil is coming up through, where they can intercept, where they can put the mud in, where they can put the cement plug.”
He reiterated that despite that accelerated time frame, he’s sticking with mid-August as the expected time for the “bottom kill” procedure to be completed. “Certain things could move that up,” Allen said, but for the second time in as many days, he couched that optimism, saying, “It’s better to under-promise and over-deliver.” Read the rest of Relief well drilling ahead of schedule »
Facebook "Like" Stamp
The Internet’s love affair with Facebook might hit a rough patch from time to time, but there’s no denying that it’s the social networking giant that keeps us connected to everyone and everything we like in one easy online platform.
So, to celebrate all things FB, we’ve rounded up a selection of Facebook-themed real-life products, from witty tees to cool stationery (because someone is still sending snail mail) that you can nab now to show your love for online social networking in the offline world. Read the rest of Fun Facebook Accessories »
Brown Pelicans covered with oil from the BP oil spill in a holding pen at Fort Jackson Oiled Wildlife Rehabilitation Center waiting to be cleaned.
I. The Impact: On the Oily Coast
Terry Vargas is living with the oil. Nearly three weeks ago, the third-generation shrimper pulled into port in Grand Isle, in southeast Louisiana, with a catch worth $1,400. But that was before authorities closed the rich Delta waters to fishing, thanks to the massive oil spill that has swamped the shoreline. Like many furloughed Louisiana fishermen, Vargas took a check from BP — part of the energy giant’s promise to Gulf Coast residents to “make things right” in the wake of the biggest environmental disaster in U.S. history. It was for $5,000, an amount Vargas says he can make in two nights during a good shrimping season. Still, $5,000 is better than nothing, but Vargas knows it won’t cover his expenses now or in the uncertain weeks ahead. So he has taken on carpentry jobs — the only paying work he can find — and today is building a small shed among the houses on Grand Isle, many of which stand on stilts, stork-like, to endure the inevitable floods.
Vargas thinks about the hurricane season that began on June 1 — forecasters predict a major one — and remembers when Katrina hit and left a pile of sand in his living room. Hurricanes pass; people evacuate, and then they rebuild. But the spill is a disaster of a different kind. He worries about a storm hitting the oily waters, raining crude on his hometown. “If that oil comes ashore,” Vargas says, “it’s all over.” Read the rest of The Gulf Disaster: Whose Asses Need Kicking? »
The Rip-Tide Army
[UPDATE: Links removed, this is a dead team, it was a good concept however it became unsustainable quickly, in fact, only 3 waves were ever launched)]
The Rip-Tide Army is an ARMY (Not a team) of people to promote each of it’s member with the use of TOAN, which is a Multi-Level-Marketing Company (The Online Ad Network).
While generally all the millions of Multi-Level or Affiliate Marketing programs online are scammy and don’t pay off, this one is different. The Rip-Tide Army has a PROVEN Battle plan that is guaranteed. Read the rest of The Rip-Tide Army »
Social Networks are a growing display of evidence in Divorce Cases.
Forgot to de-friend your wife on Facebook while posting vacation shots of your mistress? Her divorce lawyer will be thrilled.
Oversharing on social networks has led to an overabundance of evidence in divorce cases. The American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers says 81 percent of its members have used or faced evidence plucked from Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and other social networking sites, including YouTube and LinkedIn, over the last five years.
“Oh, I’ve had some fun ones,” said Linda Lea Viken, president-elect of the 1,600-member group. “It’s very, very common in my new cases.”
It’s all good and fine to propose via Twitter these days or to change your relationship status at the altar, but when your love has faded and your thoughts turn to divorce, you’d better un-friend your soon-to-be-ex long before the ink dries. What he or she sees on your profile may very well be used against you in court. Read the rest of Social Networks becoming prime sources for evidence in Divorce & Custody cases »
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