People Try Twitter One Month

It's good to know I am not alone: Many other people use Twitter a few times and can't think of a good reason to come back. With all the hype about Twitter's 140-character version of living, I'd gotten the impression that I'm the only one on Twitter who doesn't get why Twitter matters.

Twitter needs to be concerned about this, especially since both MySpace and Facebook have failure to return rates only about half that of Twitter. Put another way, 60 percent of MySpace and Facebook users come back the next month, about the same percentage that do not return to Twitter on its best months.

Both MySpace and Facebook, for all their problems, offer more services than Twitter. It is easy to see how places where users can do more things could make the two services "stickier" than Twitter.

This does not surprise me. Twitter feels really light to me. Some people, obviously, become addicted but large numbers of others just walk away. That is not such a big deal right now as Twitter is in major growth mode. Growth hides all manner of sins.

However, if that growth mostly results in new users sampling and leaving, the growth will not last. Worse, it may be hard to get those unhappy users to return should Twitter ever expand its product features.

Today, it would be much easier for TweetDeck to make money off my use of Twitter than it would be for Twitter itself. Again, I do not see how these social networks ever make the big money that investors are betting they will.

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Google has inquiries by the Department of Justice this week

Google is being hit with its first (of many?) anti-Monopoly inquiries by the Department of Justice this week the NYTimes has learned. The concern is over the $125 million settlement that Google came to with the Author's Guild and the Association of American publishers. A class action suit was filed in 2005 and claims that Google's practice of scanning copyrighted books from libraries for use in its book search service was a violation of copyrights. The October settlement gave Google the right to display the books online as well as profit from selling access to individual tax and subscriptions to its entire collection to libraries. This revenue would be shared with authors and publishers. Judge Denny Chin of Federal District Court in New York, who is overseeing a settlement, postponed the deadline for authors by four months to opt out of the settlement and for other parties to file briefs. Authors had complained that they needed more time to review the settlement. Google, of course, had defended the settlement saying he would bring revenue to authors and publishers. They also contend that it will give the public access to millions of out-of-print books. Google was trying to be the iTunes of books.

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Apple Updates iPhone 3.0 Beta Software

Updated iPhone 3.0 beta software shipped to developers late Tuesday and included in the code was a pre-release of the next version of iTunes (8.2). Clues buried in the new iTunes pre-release software suggest that Apple's media player will support Blu-ray disc playback.

Not much else was remarkable about the iPhone 3.0 update, but the additional iTunes 8.2 support for Blu-ray was a surprise. Proof of Blu-ray support can be found in the About iTunes help window in the pre-release version of iTunes 8.2. A copyright notice now includes a mention of Blu-ray media, hinting that the final release will likely play high-def discs. This could also mean that Apple plans to introduce Blu-ray drives into its computer lineup, although the company has previously dismissed this technology.

In the past, Steve Jobs has called Blu-ray a "bag of hurt" when referring to its licensing terms. While Apple hasn't yet formally announced any Blu-ray hardware, one could speculate that at the company's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, some sort of high-def hardware announcement could be made as well.

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HP Launched A New Low-Cost Business Laptops

HP launched a new line of low-cost business notebooks called the ProBook s-series that merge business functionality with consumer goodies like HD graphics and Blu-ray drives. The HP ProBooks give you a choice of an Intel or AMD processor across most of the line, as well as choices of 14-, 15.6-, or 17.3-inch diagonal HD widescreens with a 16:9 aspect ratio.

Models come in glossy noir (black) or merlot, though merlot is only available on the 14- and 15-inch models and is not expected to be available until June.

Most of the ProBooks share similar features, including:

-800 MHz DDR2 SDRAM two slots expandable up to 8GB
-Up to 500GB SATA HDD internal storage
-Wi-Fi a/b/g/n
-ExpressCard/34 slot

-Media Card Reader
-Ports: four USB 2.0, VGA and HDMI
-Full-size keyboard

-Options include: Blu-ray ROM DVD+/-RW SuperMulti DL LightScribe Drive5; 2 MP webcam; and Bluetooth 2.0

Here's the breakdown for specific models:

4410s (Intel) and 4415s (AMD)
-14-inch diagonal widescreen with 16:9 ratio
-ATI Radeon HD 3200 integrated graphics, ATI Mobility RadeonTM HD 4330 discrete graphics, with 512 MB dedicated video memory
-6-cell Lithium-Ion battery
-Weight: 5 pounds with optical drive
-Dimensions: 1.22 (at front) x 13.2 x 9.15 in

4510s (Intel) and 4515s (AMD)
-15.5-inch diagonal widescreen with 16:9 ratio
-integrated number pad
--HP un2400 EV-DO/HSPA Mobile Broadband Module that HP says will work with multiple mobile broadband carriers
-Mobile Intel GMA 4500MHD, ATI Mobility RadeonTM HD 4330, with 512 MB dedicated video memory (4510s)

- ATI Radeon HD 3200 integrated graphics, ATI Mobility RadeonTM HD 4330 discrete graphics, with 512 MB dedicated video memory (4515s)
-8-or 6-cell Lithium-Ion battery
-Weight: 5.7 pounds including optical drive
-Dimensions: 1.24 (at front) x 14.6 x 9.83 in

4710s (Intel only)
-17.3-inch diagonal widescreen with 16:9 ratio
-ATI Mobility RadeonTM HD 4330, with 512 MB dedicated video memory
-8-cell Lithium-Ion battery
-Weight: 6.8 pounds with optical drive
-Dimensions: 1.26 (at front) x 16.17 x 10.63 in

All HP ProBooks come with HP Smart AC adapters that allow the notebooks to automatically make power adjustments as needed. The ProBook models are mercury-free, have an Electronic Products Environmental Assessment Tool silver rating, and are ENERGY STAR qualified. The ProBook models are also compatible with HP's USB 2.0 docking station.

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New Apple Gizmos Coming

For those who switched to AT&T from Verizon in anticipation of the iPhone, now may be the time to switch back. According to two anonymous sources speaking to Business Week, Apple and Verizon may release two new Verizon-exclusive iPhone-like products as early as this summer. The rumors go hand-in-hand with recent talk that the iPhone is coming to Verizon, and that Apple has new devices up its sleeve for the summer.

One device seems like it'll be the closest we'll ever get to the iPhone Nano: a smaller, less expensive iPhone. The iPhone Lite, as it's being called, is smaller and thinner than the existing iPhone and will come cheaper because it "relies on a so-called system on a chip, which incorporates many types of chips and drives down the cost of silicon in such devices."





The other is a "media pad" that has the same functionality as an iPod Touch -- music, games, photos -- but with HD video and calling ability via a Wi-Fi connection. Sources tell Business Week that the device will be smaller than the Kindle 2, but with a larger touchscreen, paving the way for more speculation about Apple slinking into the eBook market. This might be the Apple Tablet everybody has been talking about.

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Samsung Unveils That Its First Google Phone

Samsung Electronics became the first major mobile phone maker to launch a smartphone based on Google's Android software.

The South Korean company on Monday unveiled the I7500, which sports a 3.2-inch touchscreen, a 5-megapixel camera and 8GB of internal memory. It's 11.9 millimeters thick.

The I7500 will be available in major European countries starting from June, the company said.

The mobile phone joins two Android handsets already on the market from High Tech Computer (HTC) of Taiwan, the T-Mobile G1 and the HTC Magic. Android handsets from other makers have also been announced.

Specifications:

Network: HSDPA 7.2Mbps / HSUPA 5.76Mbps (900 / 1700/ 2100MHz), EDGE / GPRS (850/ 900/1800/1900)

OS: Android

Display: 3.2" HVGA(320×480) AMOLED

Camera: 5 MP Camera (Auto Focus), Power LED

Video: MPEG4, H.263, H.264, WMV

Audio: MP3, AAC, AAC+, e-AAC+, WMA, RA

Features: Full Web Browser Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Android Market

Connectivity: Bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0, WiFi, MicroUSB, 3.5mm ear jack Internal memory: 8GB

External memory: Micro SD (Up to 32GB)

Battery: 1500 mAh

Size: 115 x 56 x 11.9mm

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Microsoft planned to announce a new service "Windows Mobile 6.5 devices"

On Wednesday, Microsoft planned to announce a new service that will work on Windows Mobile 6.5 devices and will let people speak into the phone to search the Internet, make phone calls and dictate text messages. The technology comes from Tellme, a company that offers hosted voice recognition services and was acquired by Microsoft in 2007.

Key to the offering is a dedicated button that launches the service on the phone, said Marcello Typrin, director of product management for Tellme. To make it really easy to use, the service should be accessible from a single point, he said. That compares to the iPhone experience, where users must navigate to the apps page and open the Google Mobile App to use a similar voice-activated search service.

Key to the offering is a dedicated button that launches the service on the phone, said Marcello Typrin, director of product management for Tellme. To make it really easy to use, the service should be accessible from a single point, he said. That compares to the iPhone experience, where users must navigate to the apps page and open the Google Mobile App to use a similar voice-activated search service.

Windows Mobile customers can already use voice commands with Live Search, but the Tellme application adds the text and voice call features and pulls all three into a single, easily accessible service.

While customers may need to push fewer buttons to launch the service, they have to push buttons more often while using the service than do their iPhone-using counterparts. With the Tellme text application, for example, users hit the button before they start speaking their message and hit it again when they're done speaking. By contrast, the Google Mobile App automatically starts listening when the user moves the phone to the ear and then stops when the user is finished speaking.

In addition, the service should get other capabilities on an ongoing basis, Typrin said. For example, in the future a user might be able to say "play Rolling Stones" to play music from the music player.

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