links for 2011-01-28: AT&T unlimited data plan for iPhone back; LibreOffice release; iPhone and Google Voice; Startup business models

• AT&T quietly matching VZW's unlimited data plan for iPhone - I never gave up my unlimited plan, but good to know others can get it back.
• First LibreOffice Release arrives - Sounds like a good release, will have to check it out.
• Why the iPhone and Google Voice don't mix - I have not had the issues this story lists, it works great for me.
• Why DropBox won - Good read for folks introducing new technologies that require adoption.
• Kill your business model - Another good read on the same subject.

Fun with QR Codes - Encoding URLs and contact information in images

I've been playing with QR Codes recently.  What is a QR code you ask?  It is one of those square bar-code looking images that you may have started to see lately, and are used to encode text which can be URLs, vCards (contact info), phone numbers, or other data.  By encoding this information in the QR Code, the data can be easily decoded by say a camera phone, and the information acted upon.  Common uses are sharing URLs, avoiding having to type in a long sequence of characters on a small keyboard, or sharing electronic business cards (vCards).

Here is an example that encodes the URL to the Wikipedia page on QR Codes.

Use a QR Code reader on your mobile phone and it should launch your browser on that site.  Most readers I've come across have this built-in behavior for URLs, but what about other forms of text encoded in the image?

I've done a fair amount of experimentation with several readers on the iPhone and have discovered some that simply show the text for non-URLs, while others have nicer behavior, especially with vCards.  For example, the following QR Code has a name, work phone, e-mail, company, and title.

On an iPhone, scanning this with QRReader just displays the vCard text.  i-nigma 4 recognizes it as a vCard, parses it, and lets me add it to my contacts, but ignores the company (ORG) and title (TITLE) fields as well as the work attribute on the phone number.  ScanLife does the best, recognizing the vCard and all the fields.

So, your success with using a QR Code as your business card will depend on the reader your audience is using.  Feel free to comment on how your reader works.

As you can see, when more information is added the QR code larger/denser which is natural and to be expected.  The specification calls for a maximum number of characters of 4,296 but that would have an image that was 177x177 pixels and the dense one above is 1/9 as large.  So when using it as a business card, particularly if you are printing it on the back of your business card, at some point it is too dense to print on such a small card and have readers still be able to process it, so you are somewhat limited in what you can include.  You'll notice that I didn't include an address or secondary phone numbers in either case above and those would add significant characters.

The other thing I learned in trying things out is that while there are numerous services on the Web that will create the image from text you enter, they don't all properly format the vCard with the proper syntax and punctuation when you fill in their vCard form.  But part of my project was to find a way to encode without internet access so I had to write my own anyway and did so using the Google's zxing project.  That project seems focused on readers, but has encoding classes in it too.

What is your experience with QR Codes?  What readers do you use and which work well?

links for 2011-01-21: AWS Elastic Beanstalk; Googled copied Sun's Java code

• AWS Elastic Beanstalk: A Quick and Simple Way into the Cloud - AWS continues to avoid going up stack to compete with partners, but still offer new services and value.
  
• Oops: Android contains directly copied Java code, strengthening Oracle's case - That would be a big ooops!
  
• Oops: No copied Java code or weapons of mass destruction found in Android - Or maybe not.
  

links for 2011-01-17: New data roaming option for international travelers; Battle over video on the Web; Android passes iPhone; Unplugging from LBS

• DROAM - Dreaming about Cheap Data Roaming - Great to see more options out there.
• Can Google and Mozilla dethrone H.264 on the Web? - Probably good in the long run, a bit bumpy right now though.
  
• Android passes iPhone in market share - Sounds like Gartner was awfully conservative in their Q4 2012 prediction.
• Why I’m Unplugging From Location Based Services Until The Privacy Issue Is Resolved - Great list of things to remember when using location based services.
  

links for 2010-12-26: Chrome OS Review; Microsoft wins USDA; Dumping an iPad for a Galaxy Tab

• A Very Chrome-y Christmas - Interesting review, an indication of what we may be using in the future.
• Microsoft Wins Largest Federal Contract for Cloud - But was Google allowed to compete?
  
• Infor offering 15% referral fee for anonymous referrals - Is this move astute or naive?
• 10 reasons to dump an iPad - A bunch of good reasons.

links for 2010-10-7: IE market share dips below 50%; Analysis of Google's response to Oracle; SQL and Big Data

• EU dings Microsoft's IE browser market share, says Statcounter - The move towards other browsers continues.
  
• Google responds to Oracle's Android patent lawsuit, we break it down - Google accuses Oracle of flip-flopping, and implies if they've violated anything than Apache Harmony has too.
  
• Who's suing who in the mobile business - Wow, I didn't know Nokia was at the center of so many of the suits.
• Who's suing who in the telecoms trade - Similar to the above, but with a bullet on each suit.
• Why relational databases make sense for big data - Good car, Indy car, helicopter analogy from Ed.

links for 2010-10-02: WebP saves bandwidth over JPEG; Java, OSGi, Oracle, and more;

• Google offers JPEG alternative for faster Web - It is fair to say that the image compression algorithms we use today were developed when we had CPU and memory limitations, so why not update them to make the web snappier?
• Java, OSGi, Oracle, and more - James doesn't paint too bright a picture of Oracle's stewardship thus far.

links for 2010-08-30: Background on Oracle vs Google; Google won't be at JavaOne; YouTube movies?; US Open tennis starts today

• Software War Pits Oracle vs Google - More background on what will prove to be a very interesting case.
• Google Bails on Oracle/Sun Java One Conference - A natural, but unfortunate, reaction.
• YouTube eyes pay-per-view films - I'm kind of surprised it has taken this long.
• US Open Tennis - Starts today, for what is usually a great two weeks of tennis.

links for 2010-08-20: Ellison to hire Hurd?; Laptop reliability survey; Google thwarted by California; Oracle vs Google on Java; Cloud data offers intelligence; Ubuntu advantages over Windows and OS X

• Mark Hurd to Oracle? Don't be surprised - An interesting idea.
  
• Acer makes the shoddiest laptops, say IT professionals - From those they surveyed, I'd agree Acer is at the bottom of the list.  It is interesting to see HP and Dell with high percentages in both the best and worse categories.
• Google accuses California of rigging bidding process for e-mail contract - I personally find Google's labels and search preferable to traditional e-mail clients.  Let's hope California didn't have a closed mind on the subject.
  
• Charles Nutter's thoughts on Oracle vs Google - A great read if you have the time.  If you don't, Stephen O'Grady's thoughts are good as well (and shorter).
• Intuit: Small businesses slow hiring; increase pay and hours worked - Another great example of how Cloud based services (Intuit's Online Payroll service) offer an opportunity to use volumes of data to offer intelligence.
  
• Ubuntu's two big advantages over Windows and Mac - Jason makes very good points.  I doubt it is going to cause a major shift to Ubuntu though...
  

links for 2010-07-26: Phillips claim of acquisitions not true?; LA's move to Google hits a few road bumps; "Mac guy" no longer Apple fanboy?; Dell drops Ubuntu

• Did Oracle hand Charles Phillips a PR written pink slip? - Charles said they'll spend $70 million, then Larry's PR said no.
  
• Los Angeles' move to Google Apps continues with a few hiccups - They've made progress but didn't meet a June 30 deadline to get everyone on Google.
• Why this "Mac guy" will dump Apple fanboy club card - Competition is good for the consumer.
  
• Dell dumps Ubuntu loaded machines - "“The reason why they’re not on our main pages is because Ubuntu systems are primarily targeted towards advanced users and enthusiasts...” ... if I’m an advanced computer user, what are the odds I’ll order a computer by phone before using the internet?"

links for 2010-07-13: iPhone 4 Apple's Vista?; Consumer Reports on iPhone 4; Google's master Android plan

• Is the iPhone 4 becoming the Windows Vista of Apple? - The author makes a bunch of good points.
• Lab tests: Why Consumer Reports can't recommend the iPhone 4 - They blame the new antenna, not AT&T's network for dropped calls.
  
• Google's master Android plan: We're all mobile app developers now - Do we really want "everyone" to be a developer?
  

links for 2010-05-25: MPEG-LA sued; Stonebreaker's VoltDB; Apple playing catch-up?; Android to be "Windows" of phones?

• Company Sues MPEG-LA, Claiming Antitrust Violations Over Patents - Is it just sour grapes from Nero or has MPEG-LA not held up their end of their deal with the DoJ?
  
• Database daddy goes non-relational on NoSQL fanbois - VoltDB, perhaps offering the best of both worlds?
  
• Google vs. Apple in the battle of the fanboys - Is Apple playing catch up?  This years WWDC will tell us for sure.
  
• Is Android destined to be the Windows of smartphones? - Informative piece that highlights Google getting into mobile back in 2005.
  

links for 2010-05-21: Sayonara iPhone; Google and Adobe gang up on Apple

• Sayonara, iPhone: Why I'm Switching to Android - "The Android OS is already outselling iPhone OS in the United States. Now it's blowing past Apple in terms of the technology it's delivering."  "What makes this even more insulting is that Jobs tries to dress up his selfishness as a kind of altruism. He says it's all about creating a beautiful experience, that while he may be selling you an intentionally crippled device, he's doing it for your own good."
  
• Strange Bedfellows, Google And Adobe Gang Up On Apple - It was a bit of a change from day 1 to day 2.
  

links for 2010-05-20: Android on the iPhone; Google IO; Conan visits Google

• VMware’s Cloud Portability Promise Powered By Google - One of the announcements out of Google IO was their working with VMware to offer Java via SpringSource in the cloud.  This is Stefan Ried's analysis.
  
• The Mall of Google - Jeffrey Hammond's analysis of Google IO day 1.
• Conan visits Google - Entertaining if you have the time to watch it.
• How to install Android on your iPhone - I haven't tried it yet, but thinking about it ...

links for 2010-05-17: Google I/O is the new JavaOne; Government using the Cloud; Caspio = Access + Cloud?; Jobs engages blogger

• Google I/O is the new JavaOne - Google I/O is this week.  Will it become "the" developer conference superseding the new, not at Moscone, JavaOne Oracle puts on in the fall?
• Recovery.gov finds new home in the cloud - It is good to see the government saving the taxpayer a little money by using the cloud.
• Is Caspio The "Microsoft Access" Of The Cloud? - Interesting tool for simple query (and presumably full CRUD) applications.
  
• VMware/SpringSource buys GemStone - I worked with their Smalltalk offerings in the past and really liked them.
• Steve Jobs engages blogger via e-mail - Kudos to Jobs for engaging, but I still think Apple goes too far in "protecting" their users.

links for 2010-05-04: IBM acquires Cast Iron Systems; Scaling open-source; Browser market share; Software patents are good ... for lawyers; Google's cash; Open Data; Android on your TV

• IBM acquires Cast Iron Systems - IBM making more of a push into the Cloud.  Another set of thoughts.
• Open-source support: Can it scale? - "Enterprises turned to open source to shave money in the economic downturn and are staying with it now to drive greater innovation and productivity."
  
• Browser market share: IE drops below 60% - Every browser other than IE shows a growth trend (Opera interestingly seems to have plateaued though), particularly Chrome.
• Browsers: Does minimalist win the race? - ZDNet speculates on why IE is losing share and Chrome is gaining.  A few quotes: "Tech geeks aside, people are more interested in web content than they are the browser" and "... Chrome just kind of blends into the background".
  
• Patent Litigation Weekly: MobileMedia's Unusual Patent Infringement Campaign - Give it away free or let folks use it for free to get adoption, then swoop in and sue.  Nice.
  
• Google at a loss for what to do with cash? - They'd have to do a lot of acquisitions to spend $26.5B!
• The Future of Open Data - Some interesting ideas.  I have to admit that I've run across data sets where I have made changes or cleanup and what Stephen describes would work better than just sharing the Google Spreadsheet I've done in the past.
• Ready for Android on your ... TV? - Not really a surprise as TV's are a natural for being connected and a platform for new types of apps.

links for 2010-04-28: Android momentum; Microsoft and Open Source; VMforce; Web vs Enterprise; AWS Presentations

• Google: Numbers favor Android over iPhone - Some interesting stats and trends, and Apple and Microsoft certainly are validating that Android is a threat to them.
  
• Microsoft contributing to OSS - GPL even.
• The Java cloud? VMforce – Quick Analysis - Force.com gets real Java (well, Tomcat + Spring, no Java EE) and VMware gets a customer buying into their message/vision.
  
• Salesforce.com's partnership with VMware: Offense, defense or something in between? - Another view.
  
• Cassandra and The Enterprise Tension - MySQL responded to the tension one way, what will other tools built for the Web do when confronted by the "opportunity" to go after the enterprise too/instead?
  
• AWS Presentation Roundup - A good source for a variety of presentations on the Cloud and Amazon.

links for 2010-04-25: Is Apple or Adobe or Google open?; iPhone crimes; Amazon building out capacity

• Apple channels Google, Microsoft to attract developers - No one is fully open, but everyone tries to play the "open" card as they see fit.
  
• Tech cops are investigating possible crimes over lost iPhone prototype - Was Gizmodo committing a crime?
  
• Amazon to build out capacity for cloud, fulfillment and third party services - "... the need for more capacity means that fledgling businesses like Amazon Web Services ... are growing at a healthy clip."  Use of the Cloud is growing!

links for 2010-04-16: McNealy Speaks; Microsoft and Google on collision course; Cloud printing

• Scott McNealy can still dish - "... in the ‘80s we were preaching that the network is the computer. Shame on us for not summing it up in one word – cloud"
• Microsoft, Google On Office Computing Collision Course - Interesting how they are converging on the same space.  Much like various vendors in the middleware space converged on SOA platforms from EAI, BPM, and app-servers.
• First look: Google Docs gets realtime collaboration - The presence feature sounds very nifty and useful.
• Printer drivers: A thing of the past? Google, HP seem to think so - Isn't a printer driver still required where the printer is attached?
  

links for 2010-04-15: Google and Sun vision and results; Free meals for biking; Opera on iPhone

• Google and Sun: Same vision, different results - "... it's hard to realize a "network is the computer" future when you're stuck selling the hardware to power that network, rather than profiting from the software running atop the network, as Google does."
  
• Danish eco-hotel offers pedalpower free meal - Ride a bike, get a free meal!
  
• Opera off to nice iPhone start; Will it have staying power? - "But here’s the big question: What happens to Opera when all the included mobile browsers—Webkit based and otherwise—improve?"