Star Trek Goes Online

The developers at Cryptic Studios were focusing on recreating the sci-fi franchise's universe for "Star Trek Online," the upcoming massively multiplayer online game that boldly casts players as captains of their own starship. Yet they were leaving out a crucial location: the bridge. Despite their initial hesitation, the game's masterminds decided to make it so. "We didn't want to have interiors at launch," said "Star Trek Online" executive producer Craig Zinkievich. "We thought it was just a little bit too much. We really wanted to make sure we delivered a really deep experience, but your bridge not being in the game, it really felt like a hole in the game, and it was just something that we had to put in." When players design their virtual vessels, they can choose from about 20 different bridges — like one resembling the command centers aboard the famed Enterprises or the brawny Defiant from "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." Zinkievich said the bridges will mostly function as social hubs where gamers can hangout with their bridge officers and other captains online. The game is set 22 years after the supernova that destroyed the Romulan homeworld and transported an elder Spock and the villainous Nero into director J.J. Abrams' reimagined "Star Trek." Peace between the Federation and Klingons has since evaporated, meaning space combat will play a vital role in the game, though there are still strange new worlds to explore. "It's familiar, but it's new," said Zinkievich. "We've changed a few things and added a few things to the universe. I think that's what keeps us from stepping on the hardcore Trekkies' toes. The team is made up of 'Star Trek' fans and avid MMO fans, so if we can make a game that doesn't churn our stomach, then I think we can definitely satisfy the fans." "Star Trek Online" is scheduled for release Feb. 2.

Smart Phone From Dell

Dell Inc. is officially jumping into the "smart" phone market this month in a deal with China's biggest wireless carrier, China Mobile Ltd. The Dell Mini 3, a keyboardless touch-screen phone that runs Google Inc.'s Android operating system, will also be available in Brazil later this year. The computer maker, based in Round Rock, Texas, would not say when the phone would reach the U.S. Friday's announcement ends more than two years of speculation that Dell, now the world's third-largest PC company by unit shipments, would expand into the phone business. The economic downturn abruptly halted growth in the computer industry this year as consumers and businesses held off buying new technology. Hewlett-Packard Co., the No. 1 computer maker worldwide, fared better than Dell because its business is more diverse. Acer Inc., a Taiwan-based company, pushed past Dell to the No. 2 spot in the most recent quarter on the popularity of its tiny, inexpensive netbook computers, a category Dell was slow to enter. Dell, however, was one of the first computer makers to pair up with wireless carriers to sell subsidized netbooks with cellular data plans. One such deal with China Mobile helped lay the groundwork for the Mini 3 launch, which the two companies foreshadowed in August when they showed off a prototype of the Mini 3 at an event in Beijing. Michael Tatelman, vice president of sales and marketing for Dell's global consumer business, said Dell wants carriers to have some control over the way the phone works. It chose the open-source Android system because it gives Dell many ways to customize the software — but didn't rule out making phones that run Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Mobile.

Web Forgery On Twitter

The other night I started to receive a tsunami of @ replies on my Twitter account. Apparently I was direct messaging a stack of people I don’t know with a link to something that starts http://videos.twitter… except it wasn’t me. The image above is what you see when the link is clicked (and no, I’m not going to give the link.) This is NOT fun. Fortunately, Robert Scoble had picked up on what was gong on and sent the message: @Scobleizer: Don’t click links sent to u in DM @dahowlett & many others are being hit ESP ones that start http://video
At the time I wasn’t near my laptop so couldn’t realistically review the problem. There are limitations to Tweetie on the iPhone. In time honored fashion I didn’t get a reply from anyone at Twitter. Given the nature of the service I didn’t expect to. I’m not the only one. If your Twitter account has been hacked remove apps here: http://twitter.com/account/... This seems how bad guys are getting in. Fortunately there are various suggestions as to how the problem might be solved. The easiest seemed to be a password change. I’ve no idea how the hack occurred, especially given I used a 10 character alpha-numeric password that Twitter graded as ‘good’ but it is yet another example how this popular service can nail you. One very helpful suggestion is to ensure the password you use for Twitter is unique to that service. That’s something you should do anyway.

Windows 7 Early Sales

Microsoft has reported that Windows 7 sales are 234 percent higher than Windows Vista for the initial week after its release. That figure however is tempered with the statistic that Windows 7 has not prompted the same surge in PC sales that accompanied the release of Windows Vista. Does that mean that Windows 7 isn't incentive enough for users to purchase new computers? Not really. First of all, when Windows Vista was released the Windows XP operating system had been the flagship desktop operating system for more than 5 years. Users who had jumped on the Windows XP bandwagon early would have been more than ready to make a hardware upgrade when moving to the new operating system. For users that have held on to Windows XP through the dark years (the timeframe between the release of Windows Vista and the release of Windows 7), that same fact may still hold true. However, many Windows XP users have upgraded the PC hardware since 2001, but have bought new Windows XP systems or re-installed their Windows XP operating system on the new hardware. While Windows Vista faced a variety of issues both real and perceived, there are still millions of users that have embraced the operating system. Windows Vista makes up nearly 19 percent of the desktop operating system market. Whether those users like Windows Vista or hate Windows Vista, the hardware they are using should be sufficient when upgrading to Windows 7. Timing also has a huge impact on the PC hardware sales figures. Windows Vista was released in January--after the holiday season. With Windows 7 being released in October, users who just want the operating system software may jump on board, but customers that are interested in purchasing a new system with Windows 7 installed are likely holding out for holiday bargains and Black Friday deals. Talk to me again in January about PC hardware sales related to Windows 7. Another factor in the sale of new PC hardware is corporate adoption of the new operating system. Many enterprises held on to Windows XP and are now planning to upgrade to Windows 7, but massive hardware and operating system upgrades take careful planning and time to implement. Many large companies also operate on funky fiscal year calendars which can affect the timing of the Windows 7 upgrade.

Android 2.0 Phone

The new updated version of the open-source operating system offers new Android phones a series of enhancements as well as improved performance. The updated software is being credited with enabling many of the cool new features, such as the updated version of the Google Maps service, which allows for voice command turn-by-turn directions. The Motorola Droid for Verizon will be the first device that will use the new software. Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile USA will also be selling Android devices this holiday season, but neither carrier has announced a device that will use the updated version of the operating system. But that doesn't mean that the Droid will be the only device running the 2.0 software this year. A Google representative said it's very likely at least one other phone will be introduced that uses the new version of the open source operating system. One of the features that the updated software has added allows for the integration of multiple social-networking and e-mail accounts into the phone's contact list. This means that contact and calendar information can be synced with Microsoft Exchange e-mail services and also other Web e-mail accounts, as well as, social-networking sites like Facebook. The new version of the software has support for Microsoft Exchange, which is a huge deal because it means that corporate users can sync their work e-mail with their phones. A search function was added to the SMS and MMS messaging feature. The software has also been updated to support a camera that includes a built-in flash, digital zoom, scene mode, white balance, color effect, and macro focus. The new software has also improved the virtual keyboard layout to make it easier to hit the right keys as well as improved the typing speed. The 2.0 version of software supports an enhanced browser that allows users to directly tap the address bar for instant searches and navigation. It allows bookmarks with Web page thumbnails. It offers double-tap zoom. And there is full HTML5 support, which among other things allows for geolocation applications to be developed to provide location information about the device. Overall the new improvements to the software should make the Android devices operate much faster than the previous generation of software. A Google representative said the software is backwards compatible with older versions of Google Android hardware. But it is up the carriers whether or not they allow users to upgrade their devices to the new operating system. And the carriers will be controlling the timing of these upgrades.

Microsoft Has Got Its Groove Back, Apple Not So Much

Microsoft has got its groove back -- at least when it comes to designing an operating system that really delivers. By comparison, Apple's most recent product launch -- a multitouch mouse -- looks almost laughable. anticipating a battle royal between Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) and Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) and thought both companies would come to the mat with their best stuff. It felt like Apple was so focused on maintaining high margins last quarter that it gave up a huge chance to grow share, and its stealth launch of a couple of PCs and a multitouch mouse just seemed lame next to the massive rollout of Windows boxes. Seriously, competing with a touchscreen product with a multitouch mouse is sort of like GM competing with Ford's antilock brake system with a vibrating brick you glue to the break pedal. If Microsoft had done this instead of Apple, Mac fans would be rolling in the aisles. They don't seem to be finding this that funny. Apple fans pointing out the similarity between the new hardware, software and experience to an Apple from folks who evidently didn't quite grasp that this similarity comes at around 50 percent of the cost. They also seemed not to get that touch, like the iPhone does touch, is done on the screen -- not on a touchpad or mouse. It amazes me how Apple fans seem to focus like a laser on who copies whom, particularly with the patent infringement litigation popping up all around Apple. It seems incredibly hypocritical to me, especially given how Apple started.

Amazon Up Even More

It may not have won the book price war, but Amazon defeated Wall Street expectations on Thursday, reporting a 69% surge in third-quarter profit, led by strong sales of its Kindle e-reader. The Seattle-based e-commerce giant said its net income rose to $199 million, or 45 cents per share, compared to $118 million, or 27 cents per share, in the year-earlier period. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected earnings per share to rise to just 33 cents. Revenue at Amazon (AMZN, Fortune 500) climbed 28% to $5.45 billion in the quarter, beating analysts' expectations for an 18% rise to $5.03 billion. Shares of Amazon rose nearly 15% in after-hours trading. Kindle boost Sales of electronics and other general merchandise, which represent 43% of Amazon's revenue mix, grew 51% in North America and 48% internationally. Much of that growth was attributed to the Kindle, which first debuted in 2007.
"Kindle has become the No. 1 bestselling item by both unit sales and dollars -- not just in our electronic store but across all product categories on Amazon.com," said Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon, in a prepared statement. Amazon also announced Thursday that it cut the price on its latest generation of Kindle, which debuted earlier this month. The price for the new Kindle, which has wireless capabilities and can be used globally, was reduced to $259 from $279. The company began shipping the e-reader to 100 countries this week. Amazon had previously lowered the U.S. price of the Kindle by $40 to $259. The online retailer's media sales, which include books and music and represent 54% of Amazon's revenue, also increased and contributed to the company's strong quarter, said Sandeep Aggarwal, senior Internet research analyst at Collins Stewart. Worldwide media sales grew 17% to $2.93 billion compared to last year.