Android

‘s Privacy Policy: Strike One

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Not nine days after Google releases their new-and-improved privacy policy, we have some first hand results of its intrusiveness.   Jonathan Mayer, a graduate student from Stanford University, discloses some rather disappointing findings.  In his comprehensive article (found here) he identifies four ad-based companies that place trackable cookies in Safari’s browser, and code in two of the four show an intentional circumnavigation of Safari’s privacy feature.  I’ll give you a hint: one starts with a G and ends in oogle.  Now almost every browser has some type of privacy feature in place: “Every popular web browser, save Opera Mini and … Read more

Use Google? YouTube? Have a Gmail account? Worried? Maybe You Should Be: Part 3

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It’s here.  Google’s new simplified privacy policy popped up today when I opened my Reader account, (if you don’t follow, here’s Part 1 and Part 2) and after 30 minutes or so I came to a single profound, concrete conclusion: it’s long. Now I have to give Google credit, it’s the most user friendly privacy document I’ve seen to date; complete with unsophisticated illustrations that firmly reinforce it’s benign nature. A caricature of how Google uses the information it gathers to improve the user experience. Simplicity aside, what does this mean for the user?  Well, as previously stated it’s a matter of perspective.  Interestingly … Read more

Use Google? YouTube? Have a Gmail account? Worried? Maybe You Should Be: Part 2

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OK, the previous post on this topic generated a LOT of emails.  With excessive use of the caps lock.  All the shouting aside, the responses formed two very distinct camps: those who welcomed the changes with open arms, and those angered to the point that their accounts will be deactivated within the next month.  This apartheid is primarily due to difference in perspective rather than an actual misrepresentation of facts.  Let’s break down the two mindsets so we can understand both sides of the equation. Now it is clear that purely from a functionality standpoint (ignore the politics for just a moment), the … Read more

Use Google? YouTube? Have a Gmail account? Worried? Maybe You Should Be: Part 1

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I admit, I constantly use all three in almost every aspect of my life.  But it looks like my Hotmail account, Yahoo Finance, and Vimeo are about to see a lot more of my traffic, and here’s why.  I received an email from Google just earlier today about their ‘new privacy policy’.  It seemed harmless enough, even like a step in the right direction of reducing these longwinded legal documents into something the average user can understand: We’re getting rid of over 60 different privacy policies across Google and replacing them with one that’s a lot shorter and easier to … Read more

Google vs. Apple

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As I sit here typing out this post on my MacBook, occasionally running a question by Siri on my iPhone just for the heck of it, I can’t help but notice I’ve been blindsided by the Apple lifestyle… and I don’t seem to mind a bit.  An iPod sits in my car, next to the two iPod shuffles that I take on the mountain when I ride, and I’m long Apple stock.  My old HTC Incredible smartphone sits in a box, long forgotten.  And I’m certainly not the only one to completely buy into the way of life that Steve … Read more

The Week Ahead: Apple-HTC Smartphone Suit Moves Toward Ruling in U.S. – WSJ.com

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Judgment Day Looms for Apple, HTC   By IAN SHERR Apple Inc.’s claims that some smartphones running Google Inc.’s Android software copy its inventions are approaching their first big judgment day in the U.S. The International Trade Commission in Washington on Wednesday is expected to rule on whether some phones made by HTC Corp. violate Apple’s patents. The ruling could lead to a ban on handsets sold by the Taiwanese company, which uses the Android operating system and is the No. 3 smartphone provider in the U.S. market, according to research firm Nielsen. via The Week Ahead: Apple-HTC Smartphone Suit … Read more

DJ UPDATE: US Judge Rejects Apple Request To Ban Samsung Galaxy Sales

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I don’t think this will impact our pairs trade much but it certainly blows apart the thesis.  The bottom line is that Apple’s chart looks more bullish than Google’s this week.  There may be a short reaction Monday but there is still going to be a trial.  I like asymetric trades where if you are right there is potential big upside or in this case downside with Google.  And if you are wrong, there may be no major reaction at all.  Samsung already has 30% market share with its partner, Google and its doing little to hurt Apple as they … Read more