Buzz Out Loud Podcast 1122: AT&T blames the children

AT&T announced they're going to help San Francisco and New York with data coverage, but then blamed the children for all their bandwidth problems. We also take Facebook to task for their privacy handling. Nothing new there. And is the Apple Tablet coming in the spring? Will it be $1,000?

Watch this: Ep. 1122: AT&T blames the children

43:49

Podcast

Facebook details new privacy settings
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10411418-2.html

… where the default setting is “everyone”
http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20091209/facebook-rolls-out-new-privacy-settings-encourages-users-to-abandon-privacy/

Apple tablet set for spring launch?
http://brainstormtech.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2009/12/09/apple-tablet-set-for-spring-launch/

Two major publishers to hold back e-books
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704825504574584372263227740.html

AT&T moves closer to usage-based fees for data
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9142012/AT_T_moves_closer_to_usage_based_fees_for_data?taxonomyId=1

AT&T to New York and San Francisco: We're Working on It
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/12/09/att-to-new-york-and-san-francisco-were-working-on-it/

The iPhone finally gets live video streaming with Ustream Live Broadcaster
http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/12/09/iphone-live-streaming-ustream/
https://www.ustream.tv/recorded/2763580

The Droid has been rooted--now what?
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/12/droid-unlocked/

EA CEO: “I think of pirates as a marketplace”
http://kotaku.com/5421466/ea-ceo-i-think-of-pirates-as-a-marketplace

U.S. no longer leading the world in spam
http://news.slashdot.org/story/09/12/08/2042253/US-No-Longer-Leading-the-World-In-Spam

AOL Time Warner splits after near 10-year marriage
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8403302.stm

Freaky Norwegian sky circles causing a ruckus
http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3238877&userid=0&perpage=40&pagenumber=1
http://www.vgtv.no/?id=27553

BOL HOLIDAY EPISODES
Best Of 2009 – This year’s Best of 2009 episode is going to be entirely listener-submitted. So be a part of this listener created experience: Clip out your favorite moments from any episode published in 2009. Export your clip as an MP3 of at least 128kbp. Email the clip to buzz@cnet.com. Subject: “Best of 2009 – Episode ####”. Deadline for submissions is Friday, Dec. 18, 2009. Please hurry! And with enough people pitching in 2-3 clips, we should end up with an awesome clips show.

Listener co-host – Want to talk with us on this year’s listener co-host show? These interviews will be recorded Monday, December 21 from 3-4pm PT. Email buzz@cnet.com, subject “Listener Co-host”, and include your name, contact number where you can be reached for the interview (landline preferred), and we will compile the list and select four people for the show.

VOICE MAIL
James Carroll on the Amazon Shoppes in the High Street

E-MAIL
Hey BOL

In episode 1120 you guys discussed the possibility of an Amazon retail store or pick-up delivery service, and was surprised you guys failed to mention that, if Amazon were to open a physical retail store, this would force them to charge tax on all products, whether it be in-store or online. Don’t keep your hopes up for this service, as paying taxes on amazon would downplay the service.

Keep up the good work,

Eric

***********

Ok, so the Joojoo looks like an interesting piece of hardware. I’m not really excited about such a single-purpose device, but what if they put Chrome on it? I may be missing some details here, but isn’t Chrome almost custom written for a device like this? Maybe if Chrome got some really useful extensions once it was released, and the Joojoo can run it well, then the Joojoo could be a little more useful.

Of course I love the show.

Garret

***********

Hey Buzzers,

First off, let me say that I too thought that QR codes were a tad silly
when I first blogged about the QR iPhone app. After learning about how
they are used, though, I definitely gained some appreciation. Here are
some examples you may find meaningful:

- QR codes are widely used in Japan, slapped all over all kinds of items
and attached to posters (big enough, you could snap them from a sizable
distance?).
- Added information about food products could be encoded. Maybe a
program could scan in each item as you buy it and help you manage a diet.
- Essentially any info that could be encoded in an RFID tag could also
be put into QR. The upside? Most phones have a camera, few have an RF
reader.

In the few organic experiences I have had with this technology I have
found it to be at least interesting, if not useful, and I would
absolutely love to see shops start posting up little “Google Me”
stickers in the windows. Especially places that are harder to nail down
on manual searches.

Love the show!
Jimmy the Microbiologist

***********

Buzz,

I think it’s interesting that the NY Times and the Washington Post are going in the opposite direction as the WSJ to actually encourage Google to aggregate their content in a more presentable way for web browsers.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/08/AR2009120802319_pf.html

Google, Washington Post and N.Y. Times create news tool