Google Works on Cool Stuff, Yahoo Doesn't

James B. Stewart, in a post for The New York Times:

As to the broader relationship between the workplace and creativity, “there’s some evidence that great physical space enhances creativity,” she said. “The theory is that open spaces that are fun, where people want to be, facilitate idea exchange. I’ve watched people interact at Google and you see a cross-fertilization of ideas.”

There should be little doubt that Google's perks (described in the article) make its offices more inviting to work at than the typical cube farm.​ However, let's not get carried away here. Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer can add all the perks she wants and can make employees work at an office, but those don't really get to the crux of the problem that Yahoo faces in trying to remain relevant. Google employees don't enjoy going to the office because of the perks, they enjoy going to the office because Google works on cool stuff. Yahoo, unfortunately, doesn't work on cool things anymore. That's why employees can't wait to leave when 5:00 PM rolls around.

Woman Hacks Legend of Zelda to Play as Zelda Instead of Link

Kenna W:​

For me, I played my first Zelda game when I was pretty young, and at the time, I thought the game did star Princess Zelda. I figured I'd get to play as a magical battle princess that saved her kingdom. The game was fun, but I was bummed out that I never got to play as Zelda. But like I said, I'm an adult now. There's no one to stop me from eating candy before bed and there's nothing standing in the way of me creating the games I want to play.

It seems as though that there is now a trend of hacking old games to make female heroines an option. Kudos to Kenna W for producing this update to an old favorite. Check out the blog post (which describes how the patch was made). The video of the gameplay is especially interesting.​

Apple and Samsung Lock Screen Hacks

It's been a bad day for Apple (Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica):​

Just a day after Apple released iOS 6.1.3, a new lock screen bug has been discovered that could give an attacker access to private information. The vulnerability is different from the passcode bug(s) addressed by Tuesday's iOS update, but the end result is similar: access to iPhone's contact list and photos.

Also a bad day for Samsung (Chris Davies, SlashGear):​

A new Samsung lockscreen hack has been identified, allowing unofficial access to PIN-secured Galaxy smartphones through a combination of keypresses and commands, though Samsung is apparently working on a software fix. The exploit relies on brief visibility of the phone’s display, unlocked, after a failed emergency call placed from the lockscreen; though ponderous, you could use that access to download a screenlock disabler from the Google Play store.

This isn't the first time that Apple and Samsung have had issues with securing their lock screens. They both desperately need to get their act together.​ Users need their devices to be reasonably secure.

Japanese Airline Offers In-Flight Entertainment Via Smartphones

Courtesy of the folks at Airport News Japan:​

Users download movies, TV shows, music, magazines, games or other content to their smartphones or other devices through the airport terminal's dedicated Wi-Fi network, which they can enjoy without limitation while in the airport or on their departing flight.

What makes this more interesting than the usual in-flight entertainment (IFE) news is the fact that this is being done by Peach, a low-cost carrier in the same vein as Southwest Airlines or Ryanair.​ As noted in the post, low-cost carriers don't typically offer IFE in their aircraft. This is a very smart, relatively low tech way to offer IFE to passengers without incurring the costs of a traditional installed IFE system or Internet connectivity systems/services like Gogo.

The Wall Street Journal is Hilariously Biased Against Apple

From Hilton Lipschitz's blog:

Is there any doubt that the WSJ has its own agenda, and pumping out anti-Apple words is the execution of said agenda?

Come on, friends, it’s not serious or insidious, the WSJ agenda is simply to sell more papers and get more clicks. Nothing does that more than any article with the word Apple in its headline, and reporting and fairness and truth have nothing to do with making money for the WSJ.

The blog post has an interesting analysis of The Wall Street Journal's headlines regarding Apple. Folks, this sort of bias in news reporting is not something we should let so-called prestigious news outlets get away with.

The Nintendo WiiU is Selling Very Poorly

Frank Cifaldi, writing for Gamasutra:

All eyes are on Nintendo's Wii U, which saw an incredibly rough January that may have seen sales as low as 57,000. This month, the NPD Group says that sales on a weekly average increased around 40 percent, meaning that monthly sales for the console were in the neighborhood of 64,000.

Ouch. This is bad. Very, very, very bad. By comparison, the 7-year-old Xbox 360 sold 302,000 units in the same period. Brand new consoles should easily outsell consoles from the previous generation, barring supply chain constraints (which does not appear to apply in this case). Nintendo desperately needs a good Mario game or a new entry in the Zelda series.

Samsung's Galaxy S4 Looks Very Good

Samsung recently revealed its newest phone in the Galaxy S line, the Samsung Galaxy S4. Despite its odd choice of using a theatrical show format during the announcement, Samsung showed off some interesting stuff.​

As every one expected, the phone comes with a 5-inch screen. More interesting than the actual hardware specs, though, is the software. Samsung showed off its "Air Gestures" and "Smart Stay"​ features, which allow for touch-free use of the phone and eye-based tracking of the user's intent, respectively. Changing music tracks without having to touch the phone (such as while driving) is useful, as is the ability for the phone to automatically pause video when the user looks away. I'm skeptical of the usefulness of the eye tracking that automatically scrolls text content, since it seems like that might register too many false positives or false negatives to avoid being annoying. I'm guessing that the ability to use the phone even when wearing gloves has something to do with the Air Gestures feature, but I could be wrong about this.

​The S4's integration with televisions and with health and fitness devices makes a lot of sense. It also goes a long way towards flexing Samsung's muscle as one of the largest electronics manufacturers in the world.

A new accessory that seems to have slipped in under the radar is the ​wireless game controller that connects to the S4. While the design of the controller seems to have been a bit *ahem* 'inspired' by the Xbox 360 controller, it may portend a greater focus in the future on gaming for Samsung devices. There is some criticism of the controller as having limited utility since it is not a standard component that game developers can count on users having, but with Samsung's burgeoning influence in the industry it is simply a matter of time before there is enough of an installed user base to make this close to ubiquitous. Remember, folks, Samsung sells more Android devices than anyone.

In summary, it looks like Samsung has a real winner of a device in the Galaxy S4. Samsung has put together an excellent phone for consumers that will sell like hotcakes.​

Samsung Isn't Impressed By Windows 8

John Paczkowski, writing for AllThingsD.com:

“The global PC industry is steadily shrinking despite the launch of Windows 8,” Jun said. “I think the Windows 8 system is no better than the previous Windows Vista platform.”

That isn't even the most damning quote in the article. Samsung went further to bash Microsoft's Surface effort and referred to the Windows 8 platform as being "less-competitive".

Considering this news in addition to Samsung's situation with Google over Android, it seems as though Samsung is flexing its (rapidly growing) muscle in the industry.

Marissa Mayer Personally Reviews Every New Hire at Yahoo

Alexei Oreskovic, in a post for Reuters:

Mayer insists on personally reviewing every new recruit, a practice that supporters say brings needed discipline to the company. Critics, however, say her high standards are hampering Yahoo's already challenged ability to fill vacancies.

​Marissa Mayer is in a tough spot. On the one hand, she knows that Yahoo must fill its job vacancies quickly enough to avoid a massive loss in productivity. On the other hand, she knows that simply filling a vacancy just to fill a vacancy would be counterproductive. It's good that she is adding some discipline to the hiring process in order to avoid making bad hires, but at the same time Yahoo isn't going to get very far in hiring good people if the process takes "eight weeks" (as it did for one individual mentioned in the post).

Interestingly enough, Mayer is apparently considering bringing some of Yahoo's jobs back to the USA from India (also noted in the post). That would go a long way towards helping to foster a more closely knit corporate culture. It would also be consistent with some of her previous decisions.​

Google Glass Pre-Banned at Seattle Establishment

Todd Bishop, writing for GeekWire:

“I’m a thought leader,” jokes Dave Meinert, owner of the 5 Point, speaking on the Luke Burbank Show at our news partner KIRO-FM this morning. “First you have to understand the culture of the 5 Point, which is a sometimes seedy, maybe notorious place. People want to go there and be not known … and definitely don’t want to be secretly filmed or videotaped and immediately put on the Internet.”

It is noted in the post that this pre-banning of Google Glass is done partly as a joke, but it does have a serious aspect to it.​

This gets to the heart of the biggest challenge for projects such as Google Glass. The biggest challenge is cultural, not technical.​ It is noted in a follow-up link in the GeekWire article that the 5 Point does in fact use surveillance cameras, but that is altogether different than what Google Glass's introduction into society will entail. People are somewhat more comfortable with the idea of surveillance cameras used in a general sweep of an establishment than they are with cameras that are directly in front of them.

Some have said that Google Glass is not much different than what we already have now, where cameras on smartphones are ubiquitous. However, it is indeed different since it is far more obvious when someone is using a smartphone to record video than it is when someone is using Google Glass. It is a tad more difficult to hide a small rectangular object than it is to hide a small blinking light.

Folks, this sort of technology isn't going to just go away. We will have to decide how best to integrate it into our societal norms and practices just as we have done with other new technologies.​