Zoho launches document sharing service

In the pre-release beta I looked at, uploading wasn’t working and I didn’t see a way to create a limited share–all files are public. However, it was easy enough to tag work with the licensing method of my choice, from All Rights Reserved to Public Domain. Other limitations include the lack of zoom controls on the view. Since PDFs displayed at 100 percent magnification in the small window, most could not be read without a lot of horizontal scrolling. However, users can view any presentation full screen, which helps.

See more Zoho coverage.

Zoho Share competes with Scribd, Docstoc, SlideShare, and other “YouTubes for documents.” This feature is becoming a commodity; like with YouTube, it’s the community that makes the difference. Zoho still makes sense as a sharing function for its own suite of productivity apps. Its capability to create shares for other type of documents is just a bonus.

It's not YouTube, but then YouTube wasn't made for slide shows.

The viewer window can expand to full screen.

Today’s addition to the rapidly-expanding suite of Zoho’s productivity apps is Zoho Share, a straightforward utility for sharing word processing documents, spreadsheets, PDF files, and slide shows. The online app reads in several popular document formats (although not yet the .docx, .xlsx, and .pptx files from Office 2007), and of course Zoho’s own documents. It creates embeddable viewers for all of them. Users can comment on files, just as they can on other sharing systems.

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First Look Apple iPod Touch 2G

Apple has also bundled Nike+ hardware and software directly into the iPod Touch 2G, leaving you to only need the Nike in-shoe transmitter hardware to activate the feature.

The latest firmware for the iPod Touch (version 2.1) is available for both the first- and second-generation players, and adds support for on-device Genius playlist creation, Microsoft Exchange push e-mail, multi-language keyboard and dictionary support, MobileMe, multiple calendar management, contacts search, and a scientific calculator.

(Credit:
CNET Networks/Corinne Schulze)

Click here for full coverage of Apple’s “Let’s Rock” event.

Apple rates the new iPod Touch at 36 hours for music (up from the first-gen’s 22 hours) and 6 hours of video (unchanged), although mileage will vary based on screen brightness and Wi-Fi usage.

The rounded metal back of the second-generation iPod Touch feels like a million bucks.

The following product is available:

On Sale Now: $159.99
View the latest prices for Apple iPod Touch (second generation, 8GB)

Just like the iPod Nano 4G and iPod Classic 2G, the second-gen Touch now accepts microphone input through its headphone jack, by way of compatible iPod accessories such as the newly announced Apple In-Ear headphones. That may not seem like a big deal at first glance, but when you add in the iPod Touch’s built-in speaker and App store compatibility, the Touch is starting to look like a ripe platform for VoIP communication over Wi-Fi. Time will tell.

As expected, the biggest news with Apple’s second-generation
iPod Touch is its drastically reduced price. The 8GB version of the iPod Touch is now $229 (down from $299), the 16GB is $299 (down from $399), and the 32GB is $399 (down from $499).

On the hardware end of things, we’re happy to see that the new iPod Touch’s lower price does not mean cut-rate construction. In fact, the new iPod Touch 2G feels sturdier and sexier than its predecessor, with a rounded chromed-steel backing that seamlessly wraps around the back and sides of the device much like the
iPhone 3G. By popular demand, the iPod Touch 2G now includes a volume rocker switch just like its iPhone cousin, for making quick volume adjustments without fussing with the touch screen. A built-in speaker is also included, concealed within the body of the Touch.

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Don’t hold your breath waiting for a 3G iPhone

So what’s the most likely scenario? Apple will release a 3G iPhone to Europe and Asia by the end of the year, just as Citibank reported. But unfortunately for us, it won’t happen nearly as soon here in the States.

If you ask me, here’s what the real 3G iPhone release calendar will look like:

So why do I sound so sure that the 3G iPhone, although it will come to the US eventually, won’t be the first place it’s released? Simple really — pure business sense.

US: First quarter 2009

Of course, that notion is thrown out the window in Europe. In a continent where people have come to expect 3G, the iPhone looks outdated; something that’s not even close to the public perception in the United States. Realizing this, Apple will need to move fast and do what it can to turn things around before its cell phone is relegated to the junk bin before it even had a chance to gain a strong foothold on the other side of the pond.

Beyond that, only a small subsection of iPhone owners even care that their cell phone isn’t on a 3G network in the United States, so there’s really no impetus for Apple to move with haste.

Among the many complaints I have about the
iPhone, 3G certainly sits atop the list. Instead of allowing me to surf around the Web at blazing speeds, Apple must have thought that a 3G device just wasn’t good enough for me at this point and I would need to break into the iPhone world with a dog slow cell phone.

Of course, Citibank already agrees with my assertion and thinks Apple is shooting itself in the foot by not supporting 3G in Europe.

Not only has AT&T set the plans in motion to expand its 3G network going forward, it doesn’t make sense at this point for Apple to develop devices with differing connection opportunities. Beyond that, how will AT&T regulate it and when will the infrastructure be put into place so it can happen?

As it stands, the iPhone isn’t selling nearly as well as Apple would like in Europe and the main reason is its lack of 3G support. Unlike the US where some of us are spoiled on faster speeds, the Europeans take it for granted. In fact, 3G speeds are so ubiquitous there that some UK folks I spoke with that said they wouldn’t consider buying an iPhone even if it was free because of its lesser capabilities.

According to Citibank, Apple plans on releasing a 3G iPhone to Europe and Asia by the end of the year, but a US launch was left out of that discussion. Of course, some thought it was all a ploy on Apple’s part and the iPhone in the US would run on the 700MHz spectrum, but that’s ludicrous. Can it happen eventually? Sure. But to say that it’ll happen anytime soon is just wrong.

“We believe that lack of 3G has been a significant headwind for iPhone in Europe where 3G is already pervasive,” the firm said.

Asia: Late 2008

Of course, it’s looking more and more like the US won’t be invited to that party.

Thanks for looking out for me, Apple!

But as sales of the iPhone start to slow and the chances of Steve Jobs hitting the 10 million units sold mark dwindle, Apple is looking for ways to turn things around. And according to one report from Citibank, a 3G iPhone could be all the company needs to do just that.

Europe: Summer 2008

As it stands, Apple is perfectly happy offering an EDGE iPhone to Americans and given the issue of battery life that has yet to be circumvented, the company will be unwilling to sacrifice usability for faster speeds.

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OSBC presentations are now online

commentary

InfoWorld has posted all of the presentations from the Open Source Business Conference (OSBC). There were some exceptional presentations filled with good information. I’d encourage you to take a look.

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Tripit pulls a Dopplr, adds location-based friend

Much like Dopplr, which we peeked at last month, the whole idea behind the alerts is to let you know when your buddies (Tripit calls them “colleagues”) will be in town or traveling in or around the same place at the same time. The only things existing Tripit users need to do to get in on the alerts are a) have at least five other people as friends and b) make and share their travel plans either publicly, or by inviting their friends as viewers.

(Credit:
TripIt, Inc. / CNET Networks)

There is certainly a lot of potential for these services, especially if you’ve got a large social graph and wouldn’t mind unexpectedly seeing your friends while traveling. It certainly beats a flight out just to see them, and assuming everyone uses the service, you might have a reasonable rate of success.

So how do the new closeness alerts affect privacy? What if you don’t want other people to see that you’re going on a trip? The good news is that the closeness alerts are setup the same way as any other trip on Tripit, meaning that if your trip is marked as private, the only other Tripit members who will be able to see it are those you invite to participate.

Tripit, which I mentioned in an earlier post about Planjam, is a do-it-all travel service that helps people organize their travel plans (flight numbers,
car rental info, accommodations, etc.) in one central location that can be updated and accessed on the go. Today they’re launching a new feature called “closeness” alerts.

If you've got people close by on other trips, Tripit will now let you know with its location-based travel alerts.

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Look out! Here comes your Spider-Mac!

This makes for a fun desktop (albeit a confusing picture if you don’t know the context) for the Mac. Actually, the first thing I thought of when I saw this was the Get your War On comic and those G.I. Joe public service announcements from a few years back.

OK. Don’t read past this first paragraph yet. I want you to look at the pic above and try to guess what’s going on. Go ahead. I’ll be here when you get back.

By way of Lifehacker, I bring you the Spider-Mac desktop. Not its official name (not yet at least). Basically one of Lifehacker’s readers, Zack Shackleton took a Spider-man comic panel and made a useful desktop background out of it.

Figure it out? I didn’t. At first I thought it was some kind of “Internet-speak joke” that I’m not hip enough to get. Thankfully, it’s something much cooler.

(Credit:
Lifehacker)

Using a number of diagnostic and editing tools including GeekTool and Magnifique, he pulled a bunch of info from his
Mac (like the time, a to-do list, calender, and CPU info) into an impressive dynamic package that displays this data as word balloons.

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Team up to take out telemarketers with Caller Comp

You can browse bad numbers by how many folks have complained about it, which area code it's from, or how often it's searched for.

Related:
Reverse Mobile helps track down mystery callers

SlyDial lets you call straight to voice mail

A simple Google search for a mystery number you’ve received usually lets you know who’s on the other end before you have to pick it up. The problem is that cell phones don’t have the same quality of caller ID landlines get (numbers not names); so that call you’re getting could be something important like an overdue library book, or a pushy desk jockey trying to sell you a heavily discounted hafnium-forged non-stick pan set.

In most cases the telemarketers don’t leave messages and will simply call you back, resulting in an endless cycle of you not knowing who’s calling and having to call back to find out–something you’re unlikely to do. To avoid this, there’s Caller Complaints, a crowd-sourced index of the phone numbers of law breaking companies that have called folks on the do-not-call list. Users come together to list these numbers, what was being pitched–and the frequency of the calls. If you find someone else has already listed the number and shared their negative experience, you can pile on and leave your experience, which votes it up.

Cold calls from telemarketers and other companies that ignore the do-not-call list are one of the banes of modern day civilization.

So far the site has amassed nearly 200,000 number searches from curious call recipients. If you’re adding a number to the database you also have the option to do a little quick research on ReversePhoneDetective, which will tell you where the call originated from and give you the option to pay for a full report.

The most popular (or in this case unpopular) companies rise to the top and are tracked on leaderboards. Users can also browse by area code and what type of call it was, from political phone spam to prank calls and debt collectors. The idea is that there will be enough resources to help you get to the bottom of who’s calling to either leave a complaint with your carrier or simply blacklist the number from calling again.

(Credit:
CNET Networks)

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Analysts Yahoo and Microsoft likely to sync up th

Other analysts note it wouldn’t be surprising if Yahoo’s revenues come in on the lower end of their range.

A consensus of Wall Street analysts is forecasting Yahoo will bring in first quarter net income of 9 cents a share on revenues of nearly $1.33 billion, according to Thomson Financial.

“The company recently reiterated guidance, but given its wide range and management’s track record, it’s difficult to give them the benefit of the doubt for much of an upside surprise,” Schachter noted in his research note. “The stock will continue to trade on deal expectations.”

Said Schachter: “We find it very difficult to see how companies that rely on advertising and consumer commercial activity can escape unharmed in a broader slow down. So while advertisers will likely focus more of their overall dollars on highly measurable and targeted methods, we still think that as overall budgets are impacted, online budgets will likely grow noticeably slower than they would have without the macro weakness.”

Yahoo, in its response letter to Microsoft’s three-week ultimatum to do a deal, noted it was deeply concerned about antitrust regulators’ views on a merger between the two companies and was still awaiting word from Microsoft on some of its questions regarding the topic.

Yahoo’s first quarter earnings report on April 22 may serve as another driver, given the Internet search pioneer is not likely to dish up any surprises of a stronger than expected performance.

As Yahoo gears up to report its first quarter performance next week, one analyst predicts the Internet search pioneer may clock in at the lower end of its revenue range, while other analysts predict a buyout deal with Microsoft may be in the mix this week.

Taking a wider view of the overall Internet and advertising landscape, Schachter noted in his research note that he expects a number of companies that he follows will “set a cautious tone for the remainder of 2008.”

“During the quarter, the Microsoft transaction has been a distraction and expectations are not wildly optimistic for a strong performance in the quarter,” noted Derek Brown, an analyst with Cantor Fitzgerald.

UBS analysts Benjamin Schachter and Heather Bellini noted they wouldn’t be surprised if the two companies entered a deal this week, citing several drivers.

UBS Securities analysts predict the Internet search pioneer will likely saddle up with Microsoft in a buyout deal valued in the range between $32 to $35 a share.

Yahoo’s management gave Wall Street a revenue range of $1.28 billion to $1.38 billion for the first quarter.

In part, the analysts, citing a discussion with litigation attorney Glenn Manishin of Duane Morris LLP, predict Yahoo’s antitrust concerns in hooking up with Microsoft are largely unfounded, giving it a mere 15 to 25 percent chance regulators would block the deal.

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Antivirus dominates PC application sales chart

1. Spore

2. MS Office 2007 Home & Student
3. Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning

4. Trend Micro AntiVirus 2008 Plus Anti-Spyware
5. Spy Sweeper
6. Norton 360 2.0 3User
7. The Sims 2/Apartment Life
8. Norton Antivirus 2008
9. Trend Micro Internet Security 2008 3User
10. Spy Sweeper with Antivirus

It’s amazing that Microsoft has created more of a market for applications that fix the problems Windows causes than it has for entertainment or business.

According to research group NPD, this month’s list of top 10 PC software applications contains three video games, one productivity tool, and six antivirus/security tools.

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Gartner Global mobile-phone sales up

In the United States and Canada, 6.5 percent year-over-year growth was driven largely by sales of replacement handsets, as new subscribers only trickled in, Gartner said. (Fellow research firm NPD Group, by contrast, reported earlier this month that U.S. mobile-phone sales were 13 percent down from the second quarter of 2007.)

Growth was driven largely by the Asia-Pacific region, in which sales grew 20.5 percent from the second quarter of 2007, and the Middle East and Africa, where handset sales increased 18 percent.

In spite of the economic slowdown, worldwide mobile-phone sales rose nearly 12 percent in the second quarter of 2008 from the same period in 2007, market research firm Gartner said Thursday.

“The economic environment continued to negatively impact mobile-phone sales in both mature and emerging markets,” Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi said in a release. “Consumers in mature markets continued to favor midtier devices over high-end devices, while new subscribers continued to join mobile networks in emerging markets during the quarter. However, replacement sales remained weak, as consumers faced higher prices for fuel and food, in addition to higher levels of inflation.”

Gartner’s study did find a decrease in mobile-phone sales in Western Europe: down 8.2 percent down from the second quarter of 2007. And while the research firm forecasts 11 percent industrywide growth in 2008, it expects revenue growth to fall slightly behind that, as the economy and tougher competition take a toll on prices.

The research firm has not changed its overall 2008 outlook of 1.28 billion handset sales.

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