Facebook’s Places Deals Launches in Europe

Facebook launched its Places Deals across five countries in Europe this morning with a range of deals including free XBoxes, discounts on cars, the inevitable Starbucks coffee and, for U.K. subscribers, a free day at the Alton Towers theme park.

The European roll out hits five countries today: the U.K., France, Germany, Spain and Italy. According to Joanna Shields, Vice President and Managing Director, EMEA, other European countries will be added “as soon as we possibly can”.

More:

Facebook’s Places Deals Launches in Europe - Tech Europe - WSJ

Internet "kill switch"

Egypt has pulled the plug on the entire Internet for its citizens.

Such a flagrant violation of communications--possible only in the less free corners of the world, right? But since last summer, when a Senate bill was introduced by Joe Lieberman, the US has been considering an Internet "kill switch" of its own.

Read the full text:

Could Egypt Happen Here? Obama's Internet "Kill Switch" | Fast Company

Link Me: Social Media Data, CRM to Profitable Customers and Video as the Next Tech Innovation

• Rethinking the Future of Business Part 2: Building the Framework

• Data markets aren't coming. They're already here

• CRM Is The ONLY Way To Touch Profitable Customers. Who Are You Touching?

• Davos: Explosion Of Video Is Next Technological Innovation

Day-to-day adult supervision no longer needed!

Larry Page will replace Eric Schmidt in an unexpected move as Google announced far better than expected profits.


The company said Page would take over from 4 April when Eric Schmidt will become executive chairman "focusing externally on deals, partnerships, customers and broader business relationships".


Schmidt posted the moves some minutes ago, at Google's official blog:

Larry will now lead product development and technology strategy, his greatest strengths, and starting from April 4 he will take charge of our day-to-day operations as Google’s Chief Executive Officer. In this new role I know he will merge Google’s technology and business vision brilliantly. I am enormously proud of my last decade as CEO, and I am certain that the next 10 years under Larry will be even better! Larry, in my clear opinion, is ready to lead.

Sergey has decided to devote his time and energy to strategic projects, in particular working on new products. His title will be Co-Founder. He’s an innovator and entrepreneur to the core, and this role suits him perfectly.

As Executive Chairman, I will focus wherever I can add the greatest value: externally, on the deals, partnerships, customers and broader business relationships, government outreach and technology thought leadership that are increasingly important given Google’s global reach; and internally as an advisor to Larry and Sergey.

"Day-to-day adult supervision no longer needed!", Eric Schmidt twitted

Londres-2012 faz simulação dos Jogos para evitar erros

Os responsáveis pela infraestrutura tecnológica dos Jogos Olímpicos de Londres 2012 realizaram uma recriação virtual das 36 competições que receberão a capital britânica no próximo ano para verificar os sistemas informáticos e tentar evitar erros e imprevistos durante as provas.

Uma multinacional francesa instalou um laboratório com mais de 900 servidores e 9.500 computadores que simularão, desde agora até 28 de julho de 2012, competições esportivas reais para comprovar que os resultados se transmitam corretamente e a tempo real.

Vi@ Folha.com

Why I don’t use facebook? Too retro for my taste.

Facebook is retro because, like AOL, it's retro by its nature. It's a closed system. Some people like a closed comfy system and others don't. I, for one, don't. If I want a personal webpage with all sorts of information about myself, I'll go to Wordpress.com and make one. By doing this, I don't turn over any data, control, or information to an onerous third party to sell, use, or exploit. I can close down the site when I want. I can say what I want. I can pretty much do whatever.

John C. Dvorak, PCMag.com

A sneak peek at Android 3.0, Honeycomb

Tech and Data for a Smarter Planet, by IBM

PwC: G-7 Will Be Overtaken by Emerging Economies in 2032

The combined gross domestic product of the seven biggest developing economies will exceed that of the G-7, the world’s largest industrialized markets, in 2032 using projected market exchange rates, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP said in a report released in London today. China will overtake the U.S. as the world’s largest economy also in that year, it said.

...

In 2009, the combined GDP what PricewaterhouseCoopers calls the Emerging Seven of China, India, Brazil, Russia, Indonesia, Mexico, and Turkey was the equivalent of 35 percent of the G-7. By 2020, E-7 GDP will increase to about 70 percent of the G-7’s, and by 2050 it will be 64 percent larger, according to the report.

Also in 2032, Brazil’s economy will overtake Germany’s in size, while India will eclipse Japan in 2028, the accountancy firm said.

Read at: Bloomberg

Skype buys rival Qik to handle two-way Android video calls

Skype announced that it acquired Qik, a rival that became well known when it was preloaded onto the HTC Evo with its front-facing camera.

Qik's purchase price it's rumored to be a cool $100 million.

via ces.cnet.com

Posted via email from Zoid's reading the Wide Web

E-Commerce Plugins and Shopping Carts for WordPress

Want to start the new year off by turning your WordPress website into a full-fledged online store?

You’re in luck – WordPress has a wide range of options available. We’ve put together a list of e-commerce plugins and carts that work with WordPress 3.0+, as well as a short introduction to each to help you narrow down your options. These are in no particular order. Some are free and some are premium, but what they all have in common is that they’ve been fairly recently updated for the latest version of WordPress.

Read at: 

WPMU.org

You need to get off facebook

Toshiba launches tablet to challenge iPad

Toshiba Corp is making its foray into the tablet war, offering a 10-inch device it says will be comparable in price to Apple's iPad.

The Toshiba Tablet, which will be available in the first half of 2011 and run Google's forthcoming Honeycomb version of the Android operating system, is targeted at consumers.

Like other touchscreen tablets, it plays high-definition videos and is designed for Web browsing, games and electronic books.

Read more at reuters.com

Posted via email from Zoid's reading the Wide Web

Chrome finishes 2010 with 10 percent share

via news.cnet.com

Posted via email from Zoid's reading the Wide Web