Bookmarks for iPhone

Question: When are 2.6 million bookmarked Web sites not enough? It's a great big Web out there-worldwide, they say. Answer: When you can't find the site you're looking for, of course.

When everybody has a niche interest, why, even a collective brain sometimes falls just short of omniscient. The Open Directory Project, if you are unfamiliar, claims the title of the largest, most comprehensive, human-edited directory of the World Wide Web. And so, odds are, the 2.6 million Web sites listed by the Open Directory Project won't be enough for everyone. It's Wiki-like, curated by a globe-spanning community of volunteers. Lukas Renggli'sBookmarks for the iPhone and iPod touch aims to put the Open Directory Project in the palm of your hand. And it's mighty big, with close to 3 million sites catalogued under 410,000 categories, give or take.

The app is more flawed than the Open Directory Project itself. You can browse thousands upon thousands of categories at your leisure or use the app's integrated search engine to look for specific pages or topics. Bookmarks features a spare and unlovely but perfectly straightforward user interface. You can view any site through the app's internal browser, or launch the page in Safari where you can, of course, save the page to your own list of bookmarks. And the app lets you separate your favorites-or, rather, your favorites among that narrow and limited group of 2.6 million sites.

You can also e-mail any URL or copy the address to your device's clipboard. Naturally, the app requires a Wi-Fi, 3G, or EDGE connection to function. I was surprised to discover in the virtual infinity of the Open Directory Project, the Infinite stopped at the letter H. Turns out, the limits of the Infinite appears to constrain only the Bookmarks application. An app such as Bookmarks is not so much a Web browsing utility, as it is a dare to those of us whose favorite pastimes include finding omissions and poking holes. A search at www.dmoz.org returned 305 sites beginning with the word "Infinite," compared with just 50 in a search through the app.

Bookmarks suffers from a dearth of options-and not just the number of sites that a search returns. If it looks like a bug and acts like a bug, it's usually a bug. The watchword for anyone developing an iPhone application such as this one should be "customizable." That isn't the prettiest word in the English language, but as a technical matter, users should be free to add and subtract content as they see fit. But why make that kind of commitment? Sure, you could join the cadre of Open Directory Project editors and fill in the holes you discover.

The Bookmarks app could simply include a feature that lets you add your own bookmarks to your own list of favorites. Feel free to e-mail him.] Honestly, how difficult would that be? [Ben Boychuk is a columnist and freelance writer in Rialto, Calif.

Microsoft opens Outlook format, gives programs access to mail, calendar, contacts

Microsoft Monday said it will provide patent- and license-free use rights to the format behind its Outlook Personal Folders opening e-mail, calendar, contacts and other information to a host of applications such as antimalware or cloud-based services. The written documentation would explain how to parse the contents of the .pst file, which houses the e-mail, calendar and contact contents of Outlook Personal Folders. Five fantastic open source tools for Windows admins7 Reasons Not to Use Microsoft Outlook for Company E-mailDocumenting and publishing the .pst format could open up entirely new feature sets for programs such as search tools for mining mailboxes for relevant corporate data, new security tools that scan .pst data for malicious software, or e-discovery tools for meeting compliance regulations, according to Microsoft officials.

The documentation will detail how the data is stored, along with guidance for accessing that data from other software applications. This would allow the cloud service developers to write code on the server so someone could upload their .pst and have it read on the server rather than needing Outlook to be running on the client and somehow get the data that way." Microsoft plans to publish in the first half of next year documentation outlining the .pst format. The effort is designed to give programs the knowledge to read Outlook data stored on user desktops. "You could also imagine this being used for data portability possibly into the cloud," said Paul Lorimer, group manager for Microsoft Office interoperability. "A user might have data on a hard drive that they would like to migrate to a cloud service. The information will be released under Microsoft's Open Specification Promise (OSP), which began in 2006. That year, Microsoft dropped intellectual-property and patent claims to 35 Web services protocols it developed mostly for use in its identity infrastructure. In 2008, Microsoft added its Interoperability Principles and promised to support data portability in its most popular "high-volume products," including SQL Server 2008, Office 2007, Exchange 2007 and Office SharePoint Server 2007. Once the documentation of the .pst format is public, programmers can get into .pst files and read the contents without the need for Outlook.

In 2008, Microsoft added the Office file formats to OPS even while critics said the formats were incomplete and the submission was designed to boost Office Open XML (OOXML) in the eyes of standards bodies. In fact, there will be no requirement for any Microsoft software. Data in the .pst file is available to developers today via Microsoft's Messaging API (MAPI) and the Outlook Object Model, but Outlook needs to be installed on the desktop. Users are free to choose any platform, including Linux and any development language, such as Java or Ruby on Rails. Microsoft Monday was entertaining a number of customers and partners on its Redmond campus to help gather feedback on the documentation. Critics such as the Software Freedom Law Center have warned that inconsistencies are possible between Microsoft formats available under OPS and with the open source GPL license.

The technical documentation will detail how the data is stored, along with guidance for accessing that data from other software applications. Microsoft last year added language to OPS on patent/copyright coverage and information on how OSP interacts with GPL-based software development. Follow John on Twitter: twitter.com/johnfontana

Wireless charging to go mainstream in 2010, maker says

The company behind the new Dell Latitude Z laptop's wireless power charger predicts that its technology will go mainstream next year, with cell phones, MP3 players and Bluetooth headsets featuring the technology at the coming Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Inductive charging, which creates a small-area electro-magnetic field around devices to recharge their batteries, will be slower to emerge on other computers besides Dell Inc.'s new ultra-thin, ultra-premium business notebook, said Bret Lewis, director of Fulton Innovation LLC in Ada, Mich. The long-term vision is for wireless charging pads to become as ubiquitous as electrical plugs are today, enabling users to place their cell phone or laptop down on any pad for quick "snack charges," Lewis said. "You could just charge your device on a pad built into a conference room table, or on a pad you carry [and plug into the wall]," Lewis said. He confirmed that the company is talking to a number of other PC manufacturers. On the cutting edge of the emerging wireless power industry, Fulton is a subsidiary of Alticor Inc., the parent company of direct-selling company Amway Corp.

Fulton is working closely with electronics maker Texas Instruments, which plans to build the charging coils for devices as well as the charging pads. Fulton, which employs about 25 scientists at its central Michigan headquarters, created its "eCoupled" technology several years ago as an outgrowth of research into UV (ultraviolet) -based water treatment systems, Lewis said. The coils could be integrated into devices, which Lewis said shouldn't be much more expensive than conventional power chargers once volumes rise. Fulton's technology is not used in the Palm Pre smartphone, apparently the first cell phone to offer the option of an inductive charger. Or they could embedded into the protective nylon or plastic sleeves for cellphones or MP3 players. Dell said yesterday that the $199 laptop charging stand add-on kit for its Latitude Z was 70% efficient, making it better than other inductive charging systems.

Moreover, plug-in chargers continue to seep between 10% and 20% of a device's normal power draw even when the devices are fully charged or turned off, Lewis said. Fulton's Lewis added to that, saying its technology also compares well with conventional plug-based systems, which he said also run somewhat inefficiently as the electricity travels through its circuits. This well-known "vampire effect" doesn't happen with Fulton's inductive chargers, he said. Fulton's chargers can use other "pinging" technology to turn charging systems off. The Dell laptop's wireless charger turns off completely when an infrared-based controller signals that the battery is full or the laptop is off, Lewis said. Taking all of that into account, Lewis said that Fulton's charging systems today (download white paper) are "already equal or slightly more efficient" than plug-charging systems.

Not only is the energy too weak to harm people, he said, it also eliminates the risk of electrical shocks present from cable-based power. "This is the same technology as your wireless toothbrush. Inductive charging systems also do not hurt electrical components in devices or laptops, Lewis said. We don't think there are any stray fields that will harm you or your devices," he said. Lewis acknowledged there is no standards group for medium-power devices such as laptops, or high-power devices such as kitchen appliances or electric cars. The company, which also partners with Energizer Battery Inc., is a leading member of the Wireless Power Consortium, which is trying to draw up standards for charging low-power devices (8 to 10 watts) such as cellphones. The electric cars could eventually be recharged by simply parking them over a special pad-equipped parking space while the driver is at work or a meeting, he said.

He added, however, that the lack of standards bodies could slow the realization of universal, interchangeable wireless power charging stands that are as omnipresent as wall plugs. "When we still can't figure out whether to put the gas cap on the right or left side of the car, there's a reason to be skeptical" about universal power standards quickly emerging, he said.

Court could restore Word injunction, says i4i

Just a day before a crucial hearing in the patent infringement case between Canadian developer i4i and Microsoft, i4i's top executive said that the injunction that forbids Microsoft from selling Word could be reinstated. Microsoft was also hit with $290 million in damages in the case. "The wording of the court order - it said it was staying the injunction 'pending appeal' - is not a highly-specific order," said Loudon Owen, i4i's chairman, in an interview today. "We're awaiting its interpretation. Last month, a federal judge barred Microsoft from selling current versions of Word 2003 and 2007 as of Oct. 10, part of the punishment for losing the case brought by Toronto-based i4i in 2007. But after Microsoft warned that sales chaos would result, the U.S. Court of Appeals stayed the injunction earlier this month. Oweb said that it's unclear whether the wording could be taken to mean that the stay would hold until the end of the appeals process, or perhaps only until the three-judge panel hears oral arguments tomorrow. "This is the classic [phrasing] for a stay, but it leaves a great deal of discretion in the hands of the judges," Owen added.

Microsoft has had ample time. Owen declined to say whether i4i's lawyers would bring up the injunction or the wording of the stay order during the oral hearing slated for Wednesday in Washington D.C. But he dismissed Microsoft's warning that the injunction might force it to pull Word 2003 and Word 2007, as well as the associated suites, Office 2003 and Office 2007, off the market for months while it removed the "custom" XML feature that's at the center of the legal dispute. "If we look at the record, Microsoft has had extensive time to make modifications to Word," said Owen. "We filed [the lawsuit] in March of 2007, and said then that we would seek an injunction. The jury verdict was in May." Owen also declined to comment on how long i4i thought it would take Microsoft to revise Word. "We haven't seen the source code," he acknowledged. "But Microsoft's apocalyptic prediction was unfair." Two months ago, a long-time patent attorney said he thought Microsoft could easily make a technical fix to Word, then sell the new version in the U.S. According to the original injunction, Microsoft is not required to update copies of Word 2003 and 2007 already in customers' hands. The two OEMs, who asked to be granted "friend of the court" status in the appeal, said that changes to Word would "require extensive time- and resource-consuming retesting" on their part. Hewlett-Packard and Dell, the top-two PC makers worldwide, disagreed with the attorney's belief.

Many new computers come with Microsoft's Office or a trial version of the productivity suite; HP and Dell said they would have to rebuild the disk images they use to factory-install software on their new PCs. According to i4i, Microsoft began adding XML editing and custom XML features to Word shortly after meeting with the company in 2001. Microsoft has denied the charge, saying i4i distorted the facts. "After a handful of meetings there weren't fruitful, i4i and Microsoft went their separate ways and Microsoft later released the custom XML functionality for Word that it had told i4i it was developing," the Microsoft's lawyers said in a brief filed last week . Owen refused to speculate about what i4i hoped to get out of tomorrow's hearing, other than to say, "We expect a fair hearing." He also dodged questions about what i4i would do if the appeals court overturned the jury verdict. "It's hard to look past the appeal," he said, but promised that if Microsoft is granted a retrial - something the American developer has asked for at minimum - i4i would continue the battle. "This is certainly an important case to us," Owen said, "but it's also important to any inventor or entrepreneur who invents technology." Both Microsoft and i4i have promised to comment after tomorrow's hearing.

Senators want to end telecom immunity for spying program

Four Democratic U.S. senators will introduce a bill to repeal a provision protecting telecommunications carriers from lawsuits targeting their assistance to a controversial U.S. National Security Agency surveillance program. The program was illegal under the U.S. Constitution's Fourth Amendment, prohibiting unreasonable search and seizure, critics said. The new legislation, supported by Senators Chris Dodd of Connecticut, Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Russ Feingold of Wisconsin and Jeff Merkley of Oregon would repeal telecom immunity provisions in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Amendments Act, passed by Congress in July 2008. The FISA Amendments Act provides some additional court oversight to the NSA wiretapping program, which former President George Bush's administration launched after terrorist attacks on the U.S. on Sept. 11. 2001. The FISA Amendments Act allowed the so-called Terrorist Surveillance Program, which targets electronic communication of some including phone calls and e-mail, to continue until the end of 2012. Critics of the NSA program said it illegally targeted U.S. residents' communications with people linked to terrorist groups without court-approved warrants. Current U.S. President Barack Obama supported the FISA Amendments Act, including telecom immunity.

The new legislation, called the Retroactive Immunity Repeal Act, would allow lawsuits against telecom providers such as AT&T to resume. "I believe we best defend America when we also defend its founding principles," Dodd said in a statement. "We make our nation safer when we eliminate the false choice between liberty and security. Telecom immunity provisions were needed to protect companies that helped the U.S. government fight terrorism in a time of need, supporters of the immunity provision said. But by granting retroactive immunity to the telecommunications companies who may have participated in warrantless wiretapping of American citizens, the Congress violated the protection of our citizen's privacy and due process right and we must not allow that to stand." Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he was pleased to sponsor the bill. "Last year, I opposed legislation that stripped Americans of their right to seek accountability for the Bush administration's decision to illegally wiretap American citizens without a warrant," he said in a statement. "We can strengthen national security while protecting Americans' privacy and civil liberties. Restoring Americans' access to the courts is the first step toward bringing some measure of accountability for the Bush-Cheney administration's decision to conduct warrantless surveillance in violation of our laws." The courts, and not the president or Congress, should determine whether the telecom carriers violated the law and rights of U.S. residents, the senators said in a press release.

How to improve your photos without spending a dime

As a photographer, it's easy to get preoccupied with questions about gear. Do you need a better lens? Do you have enough pixels? While these concerns are warranted, there is something photographers need more than any piece of gear: good light.

Bad light can make an otherwise compelling photo far less interesting, while good light can transform a pedestrian scene into an beautiful study of texture and contrast. The word photography literally means "writing with light," and the quality of your final product is very often determined solely by the quality of your light. The ability to recognize and exploit good light is often what separates a strong photographer from a weak one. The angle In the early and later parts of the day, when the sun is not overhead, it casts longer, darker shadows. Defining "good light" So what makes some light good, and other light bad?

With this type of light, even tiny bumps and contours on a surface will be more visible. Consider these photos of some silos. When the light yields more contrast, this means your scene will have more detail and texture. The top image was shot early in the day, when the sun was almost straight overhead. The resulting shadows create a more dramatic shot. The bottom image was shot later in the afternoon, when the sun was much lower.

The temperature As the sun sets, it also gets warmer, which is often more attractive. The first one was shot in mid-day and second at sunset. For example, consider these two shots of the same scene. Obviously, the sky is very pink in the second image, but note too that the grass is warmer, as well as the thatch on the building. If you don't feel you have much of an aesthetic for light, try this exercise: Put your camera on a tripod and point it at an outdoor scene that receives direct sunlight. This warmer light is often far more interesting than the cool, white light of mid-day.

Leave the camera there for a whole day, and take a picture with it every hour or two. How to take advantage of good light While you don't have much control over the sun's rays, you can change your own habits to ensure that you're taking advantage of good light whenever possible. Look at the results, and notice how specific textures change over the course of the day. Choose your time Many photographers simply don't go shooting in the middle of the day. As the sun is rising and setting, light changes very quickly, so your window of opportunity will vary depending on the time of year, and your geographic location. Instead, they time their excursions for early morning or late afternoon.

Any source of almanac data will help you learn when the sun will be rising and setting. Take advantage of the season Once you start paying attention to light, you'll begin to notice lots of subtle changes and quality from hour to hour and season to season. If you have an iPhone, check out Marc Edwards' Darkness app, which tells you when the sun will rise or set, as well as the angle and altitude of the sun, what time the sun is going to peak, and how bright the moon will be. Many photographers prefer the light in the Fall over any other time of year. As a result, Fall has a softer, warmer light than any other season. Fall light stays contrasty for a long time, because the sun doesn't go up as high.

So be sure to pick up your camera and get outdoors. Be patient When you see something that you want to take a picture of, first consider the light. You might also take this into account when planning scenic vacations. You may find that, even though you have a good subject, and a good composition, the light just isn't what it needs to be to yield a good shot. Obviously, for some images waiting isn't possible. In these instances, you'll either have to take the shot anyway and settle for less, or wait for the light to improve.

But for shots that aren't time sensitive, make a mental note to come backlater in the day or the next day at a better time. Or, they may return months later, with an expectation that a particular landscape will work better at a different time of year. Professional photographers will sometimes wait days or weeks for the light to present itself the way they want. Patience is often as critical a trait as is an aesthetic for light. In these two photos, for example, I saw a scene with nice lighting, and then waited until a subject moved into frame to create a good composition.

At other times, you may have nice light, but not have a good subject. As your understanding and appreciation of light changes, so will the way you shoot. But keep in mind that this is not the best light for shooting portraits. Good lighting for portraits So far, the light I've been describing is the kind that produces a lot of contrast. The last thing most people want is for their skin to have more texture. Tall, narrowly-spaced buildings often create nice portrait light, because the light bounces around between them, and becomes very diffuse.

For portrait light, you want bright, even, diffuse light. Certain tree and cloud cover also makes for good portrait lighting. For example, a few years ago, as the building I live in got painted, the windows were covered with a shroud. The best advice is to keep your eyes open for unexpected gifts-you never know where good lighting will pop up. The result was a perfect portrait light. Good light is not to be wasted!

When you stumble into these situations, try to find a subject who's amenable to having their picture taken. Studying and appreciating light is a great way to improve your photos. And best of all, unlike a new lens or camera, light is one photo accessory that doesn't cost anything. No matter what you like to shoot, aiming for better light will help you recognize more subject matter, and shoot it more compellingly. That is, until you see the light in Paris or Venice, but that's another story. [Ben Long lives in San Francisco, where the light is very white, which gives it a bleaching, scalding quality that can be very pretty. He is the author of the recently released Complete Digital Photography, 5th edition.]