Apple and Microsoft: Pals Again?
June 11, 2013
I noted “Exciting New Chapter in Bing’s Collaboration with Apple”. Call me old fashioned, but I was fascinated to see the on-again, off-again relationship between Apple and Microsoft click “on”. The key point for me in the write up was this passage:
Starting this fall with iOS 7, Bing will power Siri’s new integrated web search. When users ask Siri a question either the specific answer or web search links will now be delivered automatically so users can find information even faster.
Mobile search is replacing desktop search as the go-to way for some folks to locate information. The challenge in my opinion boils down to the Apple-Microsoft magnetism versus the pulling power of Google.
Neither Apple nor Microsoft has had the business model to generate Google-scale money from search. My view is that Apple and Microsoft may be facing a quite difficult challenge.
Both companies have the resources to take search to a different place. Can these two firms deliver. The Bing index strikes me as less deep than Google’s. I no longer have current data about the number of urls indexed by Bing, but when I run queries, I find more hits in Google. Volume does not equal relevance, however. Google has a point of possible vulnerability. However, Apple has not delivered high impact search in some of its services. I find the iTunes’ search system sluggish and difficult to use. Trimming a result set to include only audiobooks is not particularly intuitive for one of my colleagues.
Where there are tie ups, there is hope.
Stephen E Arnold, June 11, 2013
Sponsored by Xenky
The Fastest Windows Desktop Search
June 11, 2013
The MakeUseOf article “What Are the Fastest Tools for Windows Desktop Search?” gives readers a glimpse of several different desktop search tools and tries to determine whether Windows desktop search really is faster or if it comes up short when compared to other third party tools. Windows search is easy to use. Open up any explorer window or folder and you will find a search bar at the top right corner of the page. Searches can also be initiated from the Start Menu. The average search time for a Windows search was 3m 30s for un-indexed search and on average <1s fir un-indexed search. Also the Windows search indexing keeps a continual index of all files and folders which can improve overall search speeds.
The next program featured is the search tool Everything. The simplistic search interface provides an empty window that has a search bar across the top and that delivers results below as you type. This simple yet effective search tool produces instantaneous real-time results. It also works by indexing to produce even faster results. Listary was the third search tool reviewed and unlike the previous two it does not have a separate search interface. You simply start typing and it can determine whether you want to search or not. The average search time was <1s for a computer-wide search. Though all three are great tools the author has a clear winner.
“My winner? I prefer Everything. Listary offers the same “find as you type” instantaneous search results but the interface can sometimes be intrusive, especially when you accidentally bring it up. I like how Everything is both fast and compact and only shows up when I open it myself.”
Both third party tools seem worth a try but neither made the June 2013 Publisher Information today article about desktop search which makes one wonder what other potential winners are out there just waiting to be discovered.
April Holmes, June 11, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Boxfish Launches Android App
June 11, 2013
Boxfish wants to keep the public in-tune with what is trending on TV and they have just the technology to do that. Their technology was already available for Apple iOS and according to the TechCrunch article “Video Discovery Startup Boxfish Launches Android App, Opens Up API For Third-Party Developers” they recently released an Android version of their application. They have taken it a step further and have opened up their application to developers.
“To recap: Boxfish works by scanning network satellite signals for captions and figuring out which words or topics or phrases are being talked about across a wide number of TV programs. It started with a real-time TV search engine, letting its users say where and when certain topics are being mentioned. But it’s expanded to enable users to see which topics are most popular.”
The Android technology continues to grow in the tablet and smartphone world so this addition means that Boxfish will be an option for more phones, tablets and users. Also notable is a new feature was added to the Android version. Users will now have the ability to use Google’ voice recognition technology and be able to actually talk to the app and search for content without ever typing a word. Boxfish is looking at the big picture and isn’t just settling for apps they are also reaching out to third parties. They have opened their real-time TV API up to some of their partners and allowed them to use the technology in their own apps. The data is also being offered to university media schools so that they can have a more in-depth understanding of topics that are talked about on 24-hour news networks. Boxfish definitely seems to be giving video search a new and refreshing makeover.
April Holmes, June 11, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Bebo Files Voluntary Bankruptcy Petition
June 11, 2013
Looks like the social networking company Bebo is caught in a tangled web. The TechCrunch article “Social Network Bebo Has Filed A Voluntary Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Petition” talks about the messy battle between the majority shareholder Criterion Capital Partners and the minority shareholders which include co-founder Michael Birch, Hecker Consultancy and SV Angel. In lieu of this Bebo.com Inc filed a voluntary petition for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. An initial judgment was filed in February of this year by some of the smaller shareholders for the court to appoint a receiver to control the company because they felt it was being mismanaged by Criterion. Bebo was once a flourishing and profitable company but lately has been headed in a downward spiral.
“Once a fast-growing social network that was particularly popular in the UK and Ireland — in the UK in 2008 (when Facebook was much smaller) it claimed to have 40 million users who spent an average of 40 minutes each on the site. Bebo was bought by (TechCrunch owner) AOL for $850 million in 2008 but then sold to Criterion for $10 million only two years later.”
Adam Levin was the CEO in February but his future as the chief executive office at Bebo hangs in the balance as accusations of mismanagement swirl around. As stronger players such as Facebook entered the scene Bebo seems to not have been able to keep up with the competition and its popularity and overall business name faltered. With such initial success one must wonder if popular sites such as Facebook and MySpace could follow down the same path and one day be replaced by the next big thing.
April Holmes, June 11, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
LucidWorks Offer Lucene Meetup in Brazil
June 11, 2013
LucidWorks sponsors a series of events, or meetups, where developers all over the world can get together and exchange ideas about open source technology. The events bolster an already strong and thriving open source community that surrounds Apache Lucene. Today LucidWorks is sponsoring a “Lucene Meetup em São Paulo @ Itelios.”
Read the details:
“Want to know what’s new in Solr 4.4? Understand more about Solr Query Parsers? Understand how Solr can be used as a NoSQL database providing updates on Real-Time? Come see all the news about Solr attended by Erik Hatcher, for the first time in Brazil.”
Through events like meetups, and through their virtual community at Search Hub, LucidWorks continues to invest in the present developer community, and ensure it has a strong future. Other value-added open source companies may say that they support open source development and innovation, but LucidWorks truly does, supporting one quarter of the committers on the Lucene/Solr project, and continuing to invest around the world through conference participation. LucidWorks puts their money and time where their mouth is in regards to open source innovation and development.
Emily Rae Aldridge, June 11, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
SRCH2 Poised to Take Industry by Storm
June 11, 2013
We came across a recent press release that posed an interesting question. At this point, can any vendor in the enterprise realm produce a search solution disruptive to Google? SRCH2 might be an outfit to keep an eye on, according to the information we learned from an interview with Dr. Chen Li in the Arnold Information Technology Search Wizards Speak series.
SRCH2’s niche in the landscape of search options is geared towards corporate sites and apps. Their plan is to build “Google style” solutions.
The press release offers a summary of what Chen said in the interview in regards to the problem that SRCH2 wants to solve:
“‘SRCH2 offers clear differentiation when you also consider complexity and time to market. When you add in-memory performance to this, SRCH2 offers a killer combination for these use cases.’ A key innovation in the SRCH2 method concerns the speed with which content can be processed and then accessed to generate a response to a user’s or subsystem’s query. Speed, particularly in mobile applications, is essential. Latency can drag down response time. SRCH2, like Google, knows that speed is often more important than some other considerations.”
Apparently, SRCH2’s clients are using their technology in a number of different contexts and for a variety of devices. If there is even a major global handset manufacturer porting it to the kernel across millions of handsets, what other uses will be found? Only time will tell.
Megan Feil, June 11, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
Find Any Email Address
June 10, 2013
In a world where the Internet has become second nature, email addresses have become as valuable as gold. The CustDevHacks article “7 Tips for Finding Anyone’s Email Address” gives readers some tips on how to find email addresses.
“Email hustling is always a big part of customer development and acquisition. Sometimes the hardest part of a large email campaign is simply finding the addresses of the people you want to connect with.”
The first tip is really very simple. Start by looking at social profiles, business and personal sites that have anything to do with your initial target. Gmail along with the Rapportive plugin is another beneficial tool. Users open a new message and enter their guess in the To line and Rapportive will look up the email addresses and let you know if it is a legitimate address. Another option is to simply try and guess the email address. The article lists some common email address formats to help point you in the right direction. If all else fails ask a friend. Social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter can be very helpful when reaching out to your network. Another option is to try domain searching in Google and see what you can find. If they have an active Twitter account you can try and get a message out to them. If all else fails you can look up the WHOIS information for any domain that your target may be associated with and see if you can find some creditable contact information or you check the contact information on the SSL certificates for any sites that might be related to the target. The author does offer some helpful tips but one must wonder if this is conducting research or just hacking. Seems like a thin line between the two.
April Holmes, June 10, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Russian Made Surveillance Invades the US
June 10, 2013
Russia and the U.S. don’t often agree when it comes to politics and social issues but it seems that the two can agree on the need for top grade surveillance technology. According to the Wired article “5 Russian-Made Surveillance Technologies Used in the West” Russia’s surveillance technology is being used all over the world including the United States. The Russian voice recognition technology Speech Technology Center or STC goes by the name SpeechPro in the United States. STC also has facial recognition tools.
“In December 2012, STC announced it had gone to Ecuador and installed “the world’s first biometric identification platform, at a nation-wide level, that combines voice and face identification capabilities. The system allows authorities to accumulate a large image database of criminals and suspects. STC also claims it has invented algorithms that deliver reliable results even when facial characteristics have undergone physical changes, and the system’s voice and face modalities can be used together or separately — a voice sample or facial image alone is sufficient to make an identification.”
The Russian company MFI-Soft has developed information security and telecommunications solutions targeted towards law enforcement agencies as well as voice over internet protocol (VoIP) internet service providers. The company works under the name ALOE Systems and it is an interception technology that provides detection, monitoring, storage and analysis of information traveling over the internet. With the popularity of mobile phones, interception technology has become extremely important. Discovery Telecom Technologies (DTT) produces the AIBIS system or In-Between interception System and it works by disguising itself as a cell tower and intercepting nearby signals which allows the operator to listen and record calls. SMS message and mobile internet access can be monitored and the system can also jam cell phone signals to help locate potential targets. New York City is looking into the software developed by the Russian firm Dorga.TV which will give passengers the ability to track public transport online. They can estimate the quickest routes as well as see when a bus is due. Looks like Russia has the surveillance world captivated.
April Holmes, June 10, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Predictive Apps Continue to Evolve
June 10, 2013
Algorithms that mine our data to predict what we want or need are getting more sophisticated. The MIT Technology Review reports, “With Personal Data, Predictive Apps Stay a Step Ahead.” Recently, Google Now (part of the latest Android version and now included in the Google search app for the iPhone) has captured some attention. That app pulls information from a user’s Gmail, Google Calendar, and Google Web searches to spontaneously present timely, relevant (ideally) information, like traffic conditions between office and home as one is wrapping up the workday.
The next stage of this predictive ability is on its way. Reporter Tom Simonite tells us:
“Engineers at Google, Osito, and elsewhere seek to wring more insights from the data they collect about their users. Osito’s engineers are working to learn more from a person’s past location traces to refine predictions of future activity, says [Osito’s Bill]Ferrell. Google Now recently began showing the weather in places it believes you’re headed to soon. It can also notify you of nearby properties for sale if you have recently done a Web search suggesting you’re looking for a new home.
“Machine learning experts at Grokr, a predictive app for the iPhone, have found they can divine the ethnicity, gender, and age of their users to a high degree of accuracy, says CEO Srivats Sampath. ‘That can help us predict places you might like to go better,’ he says. The information will be used to fine-tune the recommendations Grokr offers for restaurants and music events.”
Is the trend creepy or helpful? A bit of both, perhaps. See the article for more on the current state of this “predictive intelligence.”
My apprehension goes beyond privacy and past any discomfort with increasingly sophisticated AI. I am concerned that we are giving more fuel to the already raging confirmation-bias fire. If our devices serve up only information and entertainment we are predisposed to, how likely are we learn anything new? More broadly, the chances of conversing intelligently with someone on the other side of any professional, cultural, or political divide will continue to dwindle, since each party is relying on a different set of “facts.”
Ah, well, there is no going backward. Perhaps someone could design an app that deliberately suggests bits of content we would otherwise avoid as a way to combat our own prejudices. I would use it, and I suspect other independent thinkers would, too. Any developers out there feel like taking on a socially beneficial project?
Cynthia Murrell, June 10, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Lucene 4 Sought by Cloudera
June 10, 2013
Lucene 4 has been getting a lot of recent attention for its ability to power Big Data applications in the enterprise. Paired with Hadoop, Lucene is becoming one of the go-to solutions on the market as is competitive with commercial offerings as well. Lucene has caught the eye of Cloudera, and its Lucene-based Big Data solution is the focus of the ZD Net article, “Search for Big Data: Cloudera and Lucene get Hitched.”
After a discussion of Cloudera’s integration of Lucene, the author moves on to talk aobut the other major player in the Lucene realm, LucidWorks:
“LucidWorks, which has been the major commercial entity behind Lucene, also has a Hadoop-based search offering on the market, called LucidWorks Big Data. The latter is CDH-compatible and it’s integrated with MapR‘s Hadoop distribution. Admittedly, this could cause some market confusion, and it’s not obvious which search technology may be a more sound investment, given LucidWorks’ close association with the Lucene project.”
LucidWorks clearly has the initial advantage as it is an industry standard with more experience in the field. However, LucidWorks is also known for its award-winning support and training, as well as its adamant support of the open source community. We would not be surprised if LucidWorks reigns supreme in this category for many years to come.
Emily Rae Aldridge, June 10, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
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