Week in review: Social media open for business

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Investor Carl Icahn has been pressuring the company to separate out its mobile phone business, and has been engaged in a protracted legal struggle with the company regarding its future. Motorola offered up two board seats to Icahn this week, but the activist investor rejected the offer. CEO Greg Brown declined to comment on how this latest news will impact discussions with Icahn's camp.

In some respects it looks as if Motorola is giving Icahn some of what he originally wanted. The company is splitting off the handset business to increase shareholder value. Details of the transaction, which, if it's accepted by shareholders, would be complete in 2009, were not discussed during a conference call the company held Wednesday morning with investors and analysts.

Many experts agree that something had to be done. The company's iconic cell phone division, which typically makes up more than half its revenue, hasn't had a hit since the highly popular Razr. As a result, it's seen its global market share plunge from more than 20 percent a year ago to just 12 percent today. And it's fallen from second place in the cell phone market to third place, behind Nokia and Samsung Electronics.

In the end, however, the move might just be putting lipstick on the pig--a last attempt to pretty up the failing business unit to make it more attractive to potential buyers.

Meanwhile, Motorola and the rest of the wireless industry are getting ready for the semiannual CTIA trade show next week in Las Vegas. More than ever, it seems the show extends beyond showing off products and hobnobbing. It's also clearing the air and pushing a positive corporate storyline.

In other news on the wireless front, AT&T said Thursday that it will start offering live mobile TV service from MediaFlo in May. But News.com's Marguerite Reardon wonders if anyone will be watching. And Comcast and Time Warner are reportedly in talks to help form a new wireless company that would use WiMax and be run by Sprint Nextel and Clearwire.

Firefox and foes
So you think Firefox 3 is cool? Wait until you see what Mozilla has coming in the next version of the browser. On the eve of its 10-year anniversary, Mozilla this week held an open house and offered a glimpse of what's to come.

Outlook for Vista
Are you ready to move to Windows Vista?

I'm there already
Yes, it's finally time
I'm holding out as long as I can
Never

View results

Chris Beard, vice president of Labs for Mozilla, said the push is to blur the edges of the browser to make it both more tightly integrated with the computer it's running on, and also more hooked into Web services.

One thing was made clear at the Mozilla event: Microsoft should be worried.

Speaking of Microsoft, Windows XP may get a new reprieve. Although the software giant is pushing hard to move everyone to the latest version of Windows, there are some market realities that are going to keep Windows XP around for some time--likely well beyond the current June deadline for large computer makers to stop selling the older operating system.

News.com readers certainly aren't rushing to Windows Vista. Almost half of almost 6,000 voters in a related poll say they're holding out as long as they can to make the move. So do all roads lead to Vista?

Also of note
Adobe Systems opens shop on Web-based Photoshop Express...Google's terms of service prohibits those under 18 from using its Web properties...Advanced Micro Devices releases new Phenom chips and might be close to releasing details of future manufacturing plans...Apple releases updated iPhone SDK and Aperture plug-ins...Hackers are targeting Facebook apps... Netflix suffered an outage and offers credits...XM-Sirius merger clears one hurdle...Companies wrestle with employee blogs...and we're clicking less on Google search ads, but why?

[funchords]

Comcast used BitTorrent Inc. like a Tool

Just by way of re-introduction if necessary, I?m probably a key figure as to why we?re all talking about Network Neutrality again. I was having a problem uploading on Gnutella in early 2007. I tracked it down to Comcast using Sandvine-injected RST packets and documented it. Blog stories led to press stories which led to independent confirmation. And here we are today.

Today Comcast and BitTorrent seems to have solved world hunger ? and I?d love nothing more than to be optimistic about it. But I cannot be. As they say on Slashdot ? show video, or it didn?t happen. This deal is treachery, relies on how much we can trust the word of Comcast, and leaves the public interests out in the cold.

I think it?s strange that anyone believes a word that Comcast says. This is the Comcast that:

1. Told the government that they would not degrade traffic in order to convince officials that network neutrality regulations were not needed.

2. Started degrading P2P traffic the very next year, and failed to tell anyone what they were doing.

3. Used a system that utilized forgery, and successfully placed blame on the other peer instead of Comcast.

4. Denied it when caught.

5. Then changed their story when the denials were not believed, but still never came out and said what they were doing.

6. Then they justified their actions by throwing their other Cable-Internet brothers and sisters under the bus with their ?they do it too!? defense.

7. Then stealthily changed the AUP days before an FCC filing where they referred to the new provisions.

8. When the changed AUP started getting press attention, they stated that a prominent story on Comcast.net alerted millions of visitors of the change and accused Marvin Ammori of crying wolf. (Google cache proved that nothing alerted users to the changed AUP until the day after the press started asking questions.)

9. Then they packed the Harvard FCC hearing.

This company has not demonstrated that you can trust its promises, nor can you believe its assertions. Comcast just used BitTorrent Inc. as a tool to try and defang the FCC.

BitTorrent Inc. is a content provider. Vuze, who actually DID make a complaint and petition to the FCC, is a competitor. Neither BitTorrent, Vuze, nor Comcast represents the interests of 12 million Comcast users nor the The Internet Society nor the public. And this middle-of-the-night deal was made without their input.

Nothing has changed. The RST interference continues. It was a wrongful act. BitTorrent Inc. has no right making a deal with Comcast allowing it to continue to commit wrongful acts until it finally decides it is ready to stop. The correct relief is to stop the interference immediately and to FULLY DISCLOSE what it did and to accept responsibility for those actions. (Even today, Comcast?s Policy VP refused to answer questions about the interference.)

Their word is worthless. Until the interference stops, I have no reason to believe it will. Until either meaningful competition returns to broadband, or until sufficient government regulation enforces Network Neutrality, we have no reason to think that this agreement will last through the night.

Robb Topolski

[Fil0403]

Really?

Wow, you're my hero. Not.

[Fil0403]

Week in review: More Vista FUD

"So do all roads lead to Vista?" Of course they do, as the numbers show (Microsoft Windows Vista's market share has been constantly rising in a ratio of around 1%/month for more than 1 year already) and even the biased (because we can see the level of bias most users show against Microsoft in their comments here - certainly enough to make them vote anything against Microsoft even if it goes against reality) pole confirms that (most people are merely - and ignorantly, I might add - holding out as long as they can - not long, I say, LOL).

[sporitus]

Take Facts:
http://www.slideshare.net/canarus/stop-internet-we-need-another-network

Have Fun and Learn to kill:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIzktgfmc6Y&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViNy00yuMFU&feature=related

Welcome to Internet !!!

[sporitus]

Take Facts:
http://www.slideshare.net/canarus/stop-internet-we-need-another-network

Have Fun and Learn to kill:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIzktgfmc6Y&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViNy00yuMFU&feature=related

Welcome to Internet !!!