Velti Mobile Ad Report: iOS Pulls Way Ahead of Android, iPod Touch Beating iPad

After spending last year engaged in a “tug-of-war” with Android over mobile ad impressions, iOS has been building a big lead in the past few months, according to a new report from mobile marketing company Velti.

Velti’s past reports pegged iOS share of mobile ad impressions at 53 percent in March, which increased to 55 percent in April, and now to 59 percent in May. The report also points out the strong performance of the iPod Touch, which received 14.9 percent of total ad impressions — not just more than any Android device, but also more than the iPad.

Speaking of the iPad, Velti says Apple’s new-ish tablet seems to be growing (at least on the mobile ad side) more slowly than the iPad 2. At this point in its release cycle, the iPad 2 had 21 percent of total ad impressions, while the new iPad (boy, it’s awkward to distinguish between them when they don’t have numbers) only has 13 percent.  Read More

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Google Prevails Over Oracle in Java API, Android Copyright Case

In a landmark IT court case that began on April 16, a federal judge ruled May 31 that Java application programming interfaces used by Google in building the Android mobile device operating system are not protected by copyright.

Oracle, the plaintiff in the case and maintainer of the Java programming language as well as organizer of its open-source community, said it will "vigorously" appeal the verdict. (See the official statement at the end of this story.) The company had asked for nearly $1 billion in restitution and an injunction against Google for using the Android OS.

"This order does not hold that Java API packages are free for all to use without license," Judge William Alsup wrote in an order filed May 31 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. 

"It does not hold that the structure, sequence, and organization of all computer programs may be stolen. Rather, it holds on the specific facts of this case, the particular elements replicated by Google were free for all to use under the Copyright Act."

Because the APIs contain techniques, and since techniques by definition are not copyrightable, the decision was not a surprise to many IT professionals. But Oracle was determined to prove that Google's use of the open-source Java and its APIs was beyond fair use. Read More

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Apple Jab at Google Likely at WWDC

Apple is expected to reveal its homegrown replacement for the Google Maps application, built into iOS 6, as the highlights of the Worldwide Developers Conference opening Monday.

Attendees are also likely to get a peek at that next-generation iOS, which will reportedly launch in the fall for select devices, including a brand new iPhone handset.

Apple's anticipated break from Google Maps would be yet another sign of the growing battle between Apple and Google for domination in the mobile space.

Since the original iPhone was introduced in 2007, Google Maps has supplied the iPhone's built-in mapping and location capabilities. But Apple is reportedly looking to control its own mapping functions as location-based services and features become baked into more mobile apps.

Evidence of the growing importance of location services is all over the App Store. Popular social applications such as Foursquare, Facebook, and Twitter let users share their location with friends. Google's iOS search app uses location to improve local search results, and mobile ad networks rely on location to deliver relevant advertising.

Location on the iPhone is big and promises to get bigger as people increasingly consult their smartphones for local restaurant reviews, finding the nearest car mechanic, tourism tips, and movie times. Read More

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New Google Maps kicks iPhone vs Android battle up a notch

Google is aiming to blunt Apple's upcoming abandonment of Google Maps. As Apple moves away from using Google as the built-in mapping product for iOS, Google is trying to keep control of the mobile mapping market in the way we like to see: By innovating on the product. New features from the Google mapping team will make its maps more fun and more useful.

Will they make Google Maps more fun and useful than Apple's maps? That's the big question.

3D: Table stakes

Both Google and Apple now have technology to create 3D maps that include buildings. Neither has rolled the product out yet. Today at Google's San Francisco office, we saw Google demonstrate its new 3D mapping product that will use its own library of aerial imagery to build fully-modeled 3D cities.

The ability to fly through a city and see all its buildings and trees as if you were "flying in your own private helicopter" is incredibly cool. In the demo we saw, most buildings looked close to photorealistic, although some (in particular the AT&T ballpark), had strange artifacts showing.

This 3D feature would be a great spiff for Android users and a great reason for iPhone users to download a new Google Maps app for that platform. Except for one thing: Very soon, this won't be a unique feature. Apple bought C3 Technologies in October, and that company does exactly what the new 3D feature in Google Maps does: It turns aerial photos into 3D models.

So the game will be coverage and usability. Apple's got the leg up in designing beautiful interfaces, but Google certainly has more experience in geo interfaces, both grown in-house (Google Maps) and from acquisitions, like Keyhole, the foundation of Google Earth, acquired in 2004. Read More

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Microsoft Says, Buy a New PC Now, Pay $14.99 for Windows 8 Upgrade

Consumers who buy a new PC between now and Jan. 31 can pay US$14.99 for an upgrade to Windows 8, the next version of Microsoft's PC operating, Microsoft announced Wednesday.

Steve Guggenheimer , head of Microsoft's OEM division, disclosed the price in his keynote address at the Computex trade show Wednesday, but he didn't provide a release date for Windows 8, as some had expected.

Analysts and PC makers have said they expect Windows 8 to ship before the end of the year. The fact that the upgrade offer ends Jan 31 suggests Microsoft expects it to be out by that date at least, possibly earlier.

This latest upgrade price is for consumers only, according to a slide that appeared briefly during Guggenheimer's presentation. It's limited to one upgrade per PC and five upgrades per person.

Such offers are intended partly to stop people from holding off on buying a new PC because they know a new OS release is on the horizon, something that could be painful financially for Microsoft and its partners. Read More

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How CRIS revamped its data center power and cooling technologies

Center for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) was established in the year 1986 by the Ministry of Railways to provide consulting & IT services to Indian Railways. With Indian Railways’ need for IT services growing by leaps and bounds, CRIS was required to scale up its services. The organization was required to revamp its data center, which was experiencing an exponential growth in power, cooling and space requirements.

Power management

At CRIS, initially the load of data center and facility was served together by single UPS, which was installed in March 1989. In February 1995, another UPS was installed. In this arrangement, data center load was disturbed in case any malfunctioning developed due to facility load. In order to resolve this issue, a dedicated UPS was deployed for the data center and a separate UPS was deployed for the facility. Read More

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China okays sales of Apple 3G device

Chinese authorities have recently given the licence to Apple to sell its 3G device capable of handling high-speed wireless data capabilities, reports said, adding that the US computer maker make be closer to selling its latest iPad version in China. 

Reports did not mention the name of the device, which has been listed as model number A1430.

Apple is locked in a dispute with electronics maker Proview International Holding over the trademark of iPad. 

The Apple 3G device would be compatible with the network of China Unicom, which is the US company's longtime partner and has released its popular iPhone and iPad devices. Read More

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