10 posts and columns on critics

Google-ITA Deal Frightens Even More Legislators

in News on February 11, 2011 at 3:12 am PT

A few more hurdles for Google to overcome as it works to wrap up its now seven-months-pending acquisition of flight information software company ITA. This week saw two letters of concern sent to the DOJ, one from Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster, the other from Rep. Howard Coble and Rep. Thomas Petri.

IPad 2 Display Question Draws Closer to Resolution

in Mobile on January 31, 2011 at 4:43 am PT

If you were hoping that Apple, through some combination of engineering acumen, force of will and luck, would overcome the power consumption and cost issues preventing it from adding a high-resolution retina display to the iPad 2, it may be time to relinquish the dream. Because a new set of specs cited by Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst for Concord Securities in Taiwan, suggests the device will feature the same 1024×768 resolution display as its predecessor.

"The Social Network" Can Now Call Self "Oscar-Nominated"

in Social on January 25, 2011 at 6:04 am PT

“The Social Network,” the movie based on the story of the founding of Facebook, was nominated for eight Academy Awards this morning.

Film Critics Don't Just "Like" "The Social Network"–They Love It

in Social on January 8, 2011 at 3:31 pm PT

“The Social Network” won the National Society of Film Critics’ best picture award, while David Fincher got best director, Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg was named best actor, and Aaron Sorkin received the best screenplay award.

Amazon's WikiLeaks Author Explains Why He Yanked His Book–And Why He's Selling It Again

in Media on December 10, 2010 at 12:45 pm PT

You might think twice about publishing a WikiLeaks e-book if you got threatening emails, too. An odd chapter to a weird story.

News Byte

"Medal of Honor" Not a Big Winner

in News on October 12, 2010 at 1:38 pm PT

“Medal of Honor,” the flagship first-person shooter from Electronic Arts, seems to be suffering more from disappointing reviews on its launch day than it did from the prelaunch controversy surrounding the game’s option to play as a Taliban fighter. EA dodged that bullet by changing the name of the enemy from Taliban to “OpFor,” but there’s no escaping the critics. Cowen & Co. analyst Doug Creutz says that “mixed reviews could impact the title’s legs as it will likely be competitively disadvantaged once Activision releases Call of Duty: Black Ops.” EA’s stock is down 5.3 percent.

Facebook’s New Privacy Settings an Improvement Over the Old–Which Isn’t Saying Much

in Social on May 26, 2010 at 4:20 pm PT

Announcing Facebook’s newest set of privacy controls this morning, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, “We are really going to try to not have another backlash.” If backlash is the metric for evaluating the company’s approach to member privacy, it seems to have done okay, at least at this early juncture. Within hours of Facebook’s announcement of new privacy controls, four of its most outspoken critics weighed in on them. And all had positive things to say.

An Apple App Star Explains Why He Won’t Work With Android

in Media on March 5, 2010 at 9:35 am PT

Smule’s Jeff Smith is one of the app revolution’s success stories. But while he’s a big hit at Apple’s iTunes, he has no intention of branching out into Google’s store. Here’s his explanation.