Google on Thursday announced Android Market, an online center that will let people find, buy, download, and rate applications and other content for mobile phones equipped with the open-source operating system.
Attracting developer attention is a key part of the Google-led Android software effort, and those who produce applications will have an easy time getting them to the market, Eric Chu of Google's Android project said in a Thursday blog post.
"Similar to YouTube, content can debut in the marketplace after only three simple steps: register as a merchant, upload and describe your content and publish it," Chu said. "We chose the term 'market' rather than 'store' because we feel that developers should have an open and unobstructed environment to make their content available."
Though the first Android phones are planned to arrive later this year, Chu said to expect the initial phone-based Android Market application to be a beta version that might only support distribution of free applications. An update later will handle different versions of applications, support for different profiles of Android phones, and analytics to help developers track adoption.
The move was expected. Google said in May at the Google I/O conference that it would provide a central repository of Android software.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Siemens exits telecom
Sad day for the industry as Siemens exits telecoms sector after 160 years
14/08/2008 10:24:00 - by Martyn Warwick
It's been a long and glorious history. The German company Siemens was one of the very first companies ever to lay telephone cables and make telephony switches, but today it is exiting the industry after more than a century and a half.
The company was founded by Werner von Siemens on October 1, 1847, (the year that Sam Colt sold an early version of his epoch-making revolver to the US government, Denmark began its first railway service and Alexander Graham Bell was born) and the infant company's first product was a form of telegraph needle that, when activated, pointed out a sequence of letters transmitted from elsewhere. It was designed to compete with the highly successful and popular Morse code and telegraphy system but was not a great success except in Germany.
In 1848, Siemens built Europe's first long-distance telegraph line, a 500 kilometre link between Berlin and Frankfurt, and by 1853 (when the Crimean War was at its height, Vincent van Gogh was born and the keel of Brunel's massive paddle steamer, the Great Eastern was laid) Siemens was a multi-national conglomerate building a 6,000 kilometre-long telegraph system across Russia.
The first Siemen's telephone switch was designed and constructed in 1881 and the company designed the "Faraday", the first specialist vessel dedicated to the laying of submarine cable back in 1874.
But now it's all over. Siemens has agreed to sell a majority share of its cordless phone business (its sole remaining presence in telephony) to Arques Industries thus putting an end to its long history as a renowned and respected vendor of telecoms equipment.
The two organisations have agreed to transfer 80.2 per cent of Siemens Home and Office Communications Devices to Arques. Home and Office Communications, one of Siemens' last attempts to remain a major player in telecoms was set up as a stand-alone company only three years ago in 2005.
Earlier this week, Siemens divested 51 per cent of its enterprise communications unit (that, basically, sold call centre equipment) in a joint venture with the US-based Gores Group. And the company had already rid itself of its network equipment arm by entering a joint venture with Nokia of Finland as well as having, controversially and disastrously, sold its mobile phone business to Taiwan’s BenQ.
14/08/2008 10:24:00 - by Martyn Warwick
It's been a long and glorious history. The German company Siemens was one of the very first companies ever to lay telephone cables and make telephony switches, but today it is exiting the industry after more than a century and a half.
The company was founded by Werner von Siemens on October 1, 1847, (the year that Sam Colt sold an early version of his epoch-making revolver to the US government, Denmark began its first railway service and Alexander Graham Bell was born) and the infant company's first product was a form of telegraph needle that, when activated, pointed out a sequence of letters transmitted from elsewhere. It was designed to compete with the highly successful and popular Morse code and telegraphy system but was not a great success except in Germany.
In 1848, Siemens built Europe's first long-distance telegraph line, a 500 kilometre link between Berlin and Frankfurt, and by 1853 (when the Crimean War was at its height, Vincent van Gogh was born and the keel of Brunel's massive paddle steamer, the Great Eastern was laid) Siemens was a multi-national conglomerate building a 6,000 kilometre-long telegraph system across Russia.
The first Siemen's telephone switch was designed and constructed in 1881 and the company designed the "Faraday", the first specialist vessel dedicated to the laying of submarine cable back in 1874.
But now it's all over. Siemens has agreed to sell a majority share of its cordless phone business (its sole remaining presence in telephony) to Arques Industries thus putting an end to its long history as a renowned and respected vendor of telecoms equipment.
The two organisations have agreed to transfer 80.2 per cent of Siemens Home and Office Communications Devices to Arques. Home and Office Communications, one of Siemens' last attempts to remain a major player in telecoms was set up as a stand-alone company only three years ago in 2005.
Earlier this week, Siemens divested 51 per cent of its enterprise communications unit (that, basically, sold call centre equipment) in a joint venture with the US-based Gores Group. And the company had already rid itself of its network equipment arm by entering a joint venture with Nokia of Finland as well as having, controversially and disastrously, sold its mobile phone business to Taiwan’s BenQ.
ruling on open source
Ruling Bolsters Open-Source Software
A Licensing Agreement
Is Declared Enforceable
Under Copyright Law
By ROBERT A. GUTH
August 14, 2008
A federal appeals court Wednesday overturned a lower court's decision in a copyright case that could strengthen the legal foundation of certain software such as Linux and online services such as Wikipedia.
The court ruled that conditions of an agreement called the Artistic License were enforceable under copyright law, supporting a basic tenet behind open-source software and other creations that the general public is allowed to freely modify and distribute.
The case centers around free software used in model trains that Robert Jacobsen, a model-train enthusiast, made available online. Mr. Jacobsen alleged that Matthew Katzer, and Mr. Katzer's company, used the software to develop commercial software products for model trains without following the terms of the software's license. Mr. Jacobsen alleged that Mr. Katzer had infringed copyright.
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled that the license Mr. Jacobsen used was "intentionally broad" and therefore didn't create liability for copyright infringement. Instead, the court ruled, he might be able to claim breach of contract.
A Licensing Agreement
Is Declared Enforceable
Under Copyright Law
By ROBERT A. GUTH
August 14, 2008
A federal appeals court Wednesday overturned a lower court's decision in a copyright case that could strengthen the legal foundation of certain software such as Linux and online services such as Wikipedia.
The court ruled that conditions of an agreement called the Artistic License were enforceable under copyright law, supporting a basic tenet behind open-source software and other creations that the general public is allowed to freely modify and distribute.
The case centers around free software used in model trains that Robert Jacobsen, a model-train enthusiast, made available online. Mr. Jacobsen alleged that Matthew Katzer, and Mr. Katzer's company, used the software to develop commercial software products for model trains without following the terms of the software's license. Mr. Jacobsen alleged that Mr. Katzer had infringed copyright.
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled that the license Mr. Jacobsen used was "intentionally broad" and therefore didn't create liability for copyright infringement. Instead, the court ruled, he might be able to claim breach of contract.
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