Rattleblog: Tales from the blogosphere

16-07-2008

by Damien Mulley

Did you hear that Apple released a new iPhone? Apparently so. Yes folks, it's a sarcastic start to this month's Rattleblog where we'll refrain from talking about said phone as best we can because we're quite happy to report that there is life outside of Apple products.

So let's get it over with. The iPhone 3G launched; a great phone and one of the worst launches ever. Apple's servers collapsed as 1 million phones were purchased in a few days. iPocalypse Now is what All Things D named it.

In Ireland, blogger and Telco 2.0 jedi Pat Phelan did a live-unboxing of the phone on QIK. For those Apple fanboys, do not watch to the end as he drops the phone on to the table. Meanwhile Phelan was again on the case when a large number of Irish iPhone 3G users found they couldn't get broadband working on their phone. The issue now seems fixed for Irish customers.

Meanwhile, in other phone news, speculation is starting again that the rumoured Gphone will become a reality. The Gphone, a phone built by Google, was rumoured for a while but then Google released Android, an operating system for mobile phones, and people thought that was it. Perhaps out of frustration with the existing manufacturers or maybe it's Google wanting to set a high standard for Android-powered phones but TechCrunch reports that Google has hired a famous design firm to design a phone for it.

Meanwhile Engadget reports that Nokia bought out the remaining shares of Symbian, a mobile phone operating system it largely controlled anyway. With the complete ownership of Symbian, Nokia then created a foundation that will start work on open sourcing the entire operating system.

On the same topic, the FT tech blog reports that a new open source phone and operating system will also be competing with the other phone makers and software manufacturers in the mobile market. The Open Runner Operating System is free to use by anyone wanting to play with mobile phones. With Android from Google and now Symbian going open source it might put pressure on Microsoft to do something with its mobile OS.

Nic Brisbourne covers the changes on eBay after it signed a deal to sell Buy.com items on the "auction" site. While auctions are still happening, eBay seems to be trying to change itself to be a bit more like Amazon where people just go to buy and not wait for an auction or outbid people. However, this move has angered all the sellers on eBay who built it into the service it is today.

Blogoscoped covers Google's virtual world-style product -- Lively -- and how, within a few days of opening for business, it is already being used to display porn in specialist cybersex rooms.

Staying with Google and Blogoscoped, which reports on a bit of a PR mishap for the very careful Google where co-founder Sergey Brin had a bit of a "let them eat cake" moment when staff complained about creche charges. Google is increasing the costs of creche facilities at its headquarters by 75 percent much to the annoyance of Googlers with kids, and it appears management aren't budging on this increase. As a company that prides itself on being a good place to work, Google might change that attitude though.

Just one final Google story and the Rattleblog Jack Russell will leave go. Search Engine Land talks about Google finally linking to its privacy policy from its homepage, something it's been pushed to do for years but never would. Being a California-based company now Google has no choice and had to capitulate on the issue. Search Engine Land had the best headline to explain Google's belief that less is more, and that there can be no more than 28 words on its homepage: "Google Uses 613 Words About Adding 1".

Finally, watch what you do on Wikipedia. SiliconAlley Insider covers the events surrounding the rumoured firing of a staffer who updated the Wiki entry of Tim Russert before NBC had time to break the news of his death to the public.

Damien Mulley is an Irish blogger and technology commentator.