Google today announced that it has signed up the Obama and McCain campaigns to share blog posts and news items they read on Google Reader. This program, called Power Readers in Politics also includes items shared by a number of high-profile journalists. While neither Google nor the campaigns pretend that the candidates themselves do any of the sharing (McCain doesn't know how to use a computer, after all), this is an interesting experiment and might just introduce feed reading to a few more people.
GraphOn, which considers itself a "leading worldwide developer of server-based application publishing and Web-enabling software solutions," today announced that it is suing Google for infringing on four of GraphOn's patents. According to the complaint (embedded below), Google Base, AdWords, Blogger, Sites, and YouTube allegedly infringe on GraphOn's patent for a "unique method of maintaining an automated and network-accessible database" - a patent that is so broad, it basically covers the complete Internet as we know it today.
Today, the news broke that the HTC Dream, the first handset to run Android (aka "the Google Phone") has been approved by the FCC. In the documents provided, it appears that we have now a release date for this highly anticipated phone: November 10th, 2008.
So what will the HTC Dream offer? We take a look at some of the details and unknowns surrounding this device.
When Mint.com launched, they were taking a big risk - would people trust a web app to manage their finances online? Web 2.0 apps don't necessarily have a reputation as offering hardened security. However, Mint's efforts to prove they were safe and trustworthy won people over as did their easy-to-use personal finance tools. Today, Mint.com serves nearly 400,000 users, manages over $12 billion in transactions, and has saved $100 million+ for its users. However, one problem the site has struggled with was keeping its users informed as to all the new features of its product. Today, the Mint.com site gets an overhaul to specifically address this issue.
People are definitely beginning to understand just how crazy social networks are getting. Facebook, Myspace, Bebo and many more are taking off and taking the world by storm. With plenty of tools to create your own social network, one celebrity is doing just that after getting fed up with Myspace. This should be a pleasant surprise for social networkers across the globe and fans of a particular Baywatch actor.
We have to admit that we have a thing for AIR apps. Most of our most popular desktop tools include AIR apps. From Twhirl to Snackr, they help us do our job with style. However, AIR apps are not in abundance and missing from various sites and services. While we recommend uvLayer for Youtube videos, it would be awesome to see other services release their own official AIR apps. Well, it seems Vimeo may be looking to release there own AIR app in the near future.
Pandora is an internet radio service that allows you to create your own radio station based on songs and artists that you like. While you can't necessarily pick and choose what you'll hear on the service, you can fine-tune your radio station's tastes by giving the songs that Pandora recommends a thumbs up or a thumbs down. Pandora on the iPhone is one of the best applications for streaming music and finding new tunes. So, what will the service's 1 million plus users do if Pandora pulls its own plug?
Earlier this week we announced that popular livestreaming services Qik and Flixwagon were now available for the iPhone. Unfortunately, the only way to get these apps was to have a jailbroken iPhone. Jailbreaking your iPhone is against Apple's terms and conditions and voids your warranty.
For those brave few that have jailbroken their iPhone, here's a way to video record from your iPhone using Qik without broadcasting those hilarious but embarrassing moments to the world.
The iTunes App Store is a bit of a big deal these days. Several new applications pop up in the iTunes store every day. With hundreds of apps to download from it can be time consuming to sort through them all. Unfortunately, there is no try before you buy option for any of the iTunes apps. So, if you happen to see one that looks interesting, but requires you to shell out your hard earned cash, app reviews really come in handy. While the iTunes App Store features reviews from others, sometimes you just want a second opinion. Today, ReadWriteWeb brings you 4 iPhone/iPod app review sites.
It's the weekend, so time to review the week's web tech news, reviews and analysis on ReadWriteWeb. On the product side we looked at rising music social network Imeem, reported on Yahoo's Fire Eagle project, checked in on the latest Web Office developments, and covered some new iPhone apps. On the trends side we looked into the latest online Olympics stats, explored the relationship between tech and PR, analyzed the iPhone App Store, and advised you how to set up a company.
