This afternoon San Francisco has been playing host to the folks from the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), who have come to our fair city to protest about, well pretty much anything that takes their fancy.

For those lucky enough not to have encountered the WBC it's a small group of religious extremists who are under the impression that the entire world (apart from them) is doomed to hell because they aren't Protestants who hate homosexuals.

To spread this message they protest outside funerals of dead soldiers and celebrities (the group will be protesting Salinger's funeral) and anywhere else they think they can get a deadline.

The group has been barred from entering the UK and other countries and has been covered repeatedly on TV, both in documentaries and being mocked.

One of the targets of WBC's ire today was Twitter, and the group had a protest outside the company's headquarters on Folsom street.

"We're not protesting Twitter as a platform; that's like picketing television!," tweeted a WBC member. "We're picketing the people who run @Twitter, who don't use their position & voice to warn a generation of rebels of the consequences of their rebellion. Same goes for those at Foursquare & Gowalla."

Now San Franciscans are a tolerant bunch, and haven't taken this lying down. Quick as a flash counter protests have been following the group around.

As you can see from the photos the signs aren't exactly serious, and have a technical bent. My personal favourite? 'God's never going to give you up.'

Posted by Iain Thomson on January 29, 2010 | Permalink | Comments (0)

While the eyes of the consumer world were on Apple's shiny new tablet the enterprise world has been looking to Oracle to outline its plans for the merger with Sun.

Now that the final regulations have been overcome a lot of people, including most of Sun, have been waiting for the axe to fall. As it turns out those fears may be unfounded, for the moment at least.

While Oracle sought to reassure on the hardware and software fronts it is the human angle that has caused the most stir in the industry.

Oracle is one of the most business minded firms in Silicon Valley. Staff are suited and booted and work hard with a strong ethos on the bottom line. The same could not be said for Sun.

Sun is more of an archetypal Silicon Valley firm. Staff dress how they like, work on what interests them and the company is famed for its beer bust parties. How then will the two mix?

Well, based on today's announcements they won't at first. Oracle has had a while to plan this and the system it seems to be following is to let the parts of Sun that work well entirely separate, like MySQL and OpenOffice.

I suspect on the hardware side things will remain relatively unchanged. The server line will be cut and there will be some job losses but Oracle isn't a hardware company and is aware of that, and will tread carefully.

That said, we'll keep you updated on rumblings from Sun staff. Get in touch if you have a gripe.

Posted by Madeline Bennett on January 28, 2010 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, this week in Silicon Valley it's all going to be about Apple.

After months of  speculation Apple is almost certain to announce a major new product, expected to be a tablet computer. But no-one knows how to milk publicity like Apple and so the release is not the only news this week.

Today Apple released its fourth quarter results, which were stonkingly good. It broke all previous records to show that the recession is for other companies. iPhone and Mac desktop and laptop sales were very strong and it's clear Apple is now making a play to increase its stake in the business market for both platforms.

But enough of the fuddy-duddy financials. What about the tablet?

Everyone is going wild about the prospect of an Apple tablet, unless you've been on the Moon  - as one analyst put it today at the results press call.

The word is it'll be an iPhone on steroids. A ten inch OLED screen, 3G and 802.11n Wi-Fi and some form of handwriting recognition without a stylus.

If Apple doesn't announce a Tablet/netbook on Wednesday it'll be a PR disaster but will cause some glee. Chatting about the launch to an analyst we both agreed that the look on people's faces if Jobs came on stage and announced an upgrade to Apple TV would be priceless.

We also discussed the implications of the move, in light of the Newton.

"Well that's the project Jobs canceled when he arrived back,"was the comment.

"I blame Star Trek, the New Generation to be precise."

The Newton was heavily oversold in the 1990s and roundly mocked by both the Simpsons and popular American cartoonist Doonesbury for poor handwriting recognition. If the new device fails on that score the device may have a rocky road ahead.
 

Posted by Iain Thomson on January 26, 2010 | Permalink | Comments (0)

Reports are coming in of the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) cracking down on small vendors at the CES 2010 show.

With budgets tight some small vendors have opted for displaying their wares in hotel rooms rather than paying higher rates in the exhibition halls. However the CEA has caught wind of this due to its close links with the hotel chains and is now either having these companies removed or asking for compensation.

If the reports are true they represent a departure from the norm for conferences. People go to conferences to do business, but need it all be done under the aegis of the conference organisers?

Every year AMD famously hires out a few rooms near the Intel Developer Forum to capitalise on the draw it has in the tech community. Other companies do things on a smaller scale; it's part of the rough and tumble of public relations.

Posted by Iain Thomson on January 12, 2010 | Permalink | Comments (1)

For many years CES, and its predecessor COMDEX, has been seen as a weathercock for the health of the electronics industry.

In the 1990s the show was a huge extravaganza, with laser shows and huge areas of floor space devoted to the latest gadgets and gizmos. The sharp declines that followed the dot-com boom were reflected in more subdued events, with less razzmatazz and more stress on economy rather than spectacle.

If this year's show is anything to go by then the industry is not out of the woods yet. Organisers are being cagey on registrations but it looks like attendance rates will just match, or even be below last year's turnout.

Visitors to Las Vegas have traditionally been overwhelmed by advertisements for the show and its participants. Taxis were emblazoned with advertising for the show or from companies like Toshiba or Microsoft. This year there has been nothing like as much on display.

Companies are also being much more cautious. The themes of the show may be built around 3D displays, electronic book readers and tablets and new internet platforms, but everyone is talking about economics.

For example, display manufacturers are stressing the low power output and long life of their systems. There's less talk about being environmentally friendly and more of making products last a long time with little upkeep.

Even the organisers have been scaling back. Facilities like the press room have been slashed to the bone and the halls of the Venetian are crammed with anxious hacks trying to find power and a wireless connection.

The main show opens tomorrow so we'll be able to update you on visitor numbers and stall sizes then. A lot of people will be crossing their fingers for a good turnout; the industry needs it.

Posted by Iain Thomson on January 7, 2010 | Permalink | Comments (0)