Chrome OS Touch Rumors Restart

Given the way in which the iPad's dominated this week's tech news, rumors about all other sorts of touch-sensitive technology were bound to spread.  Still, there may be something to the excitement about Chrome OS responding to touch, as a Google employee sort of set off the hubbub.

Here's a disclaimer: what was said today didn't come near a definite "yes, we're working on that."  It might have just been a sort of spoken misstep, and the most promising-sounding part may have been a sign of optimism not meant to signify any definite product plans.

Still, Senior Product Manager Anders Sandholm had an interesting response when asked about Chrome OS and touch.

According to Dan Grabham, Sandholm looked at a PR rep, "chuckled nervously," and said, "I can't . . . I mean . . . right now we are targeting netbooks, that's what we're focused on, but I expect it to work well . . . we expect it to target everything up to desktop computers."

So take that as you will.  At the least, the interest in Sandholm's comments has demonstrated that there's an interest in a some sort of Chrome tablet or touch PC.

Have You Read This?

> Google Finally Shows Off Chrome OS

> Google To Show Off Chrome OS This Week

> Fake Chrome OS Screenshots Punk Tech Media

Possible Outcomes Of The iPhone Becoming A Non-AT&T Exclusive

The folks at Apple just need to wake of in the morning to create news of all sorts that could shape the online world in many ways. First, there’s the talk about some profits in Q1 that would make any company happy (The company posted revenue of $15.68 billion and a net quarterly profit of $3.38 billion, or $3.67 per diluted share). There’s all the hubbub about the announcement of their new tablet device on Wednesday which is apparently the worst kept secret in quite some time.

Now comes the rumor that in the next 18 months the iPhone should be available on most major carriers thus breaking away from its AT&T exclusivity contract (read: stranglehold) that has been the bane of many iPhone users existence. If this is truly the case then there may be some considerable change on the Verizon, oops, I meant horizon.

This makes sense for Apple since the other rumors are that Android devices are a real threat to the iPhone dynasty. eWeek reports

Is Jan. 27 the day Apple introduces its anticipated tablet — and AT&T’s exclusive relationship with Apple’s iPhone comes to an end?

According to Hot Hardware, which cites an “inside source,” the latter is seeming likely — though news of which additional carrier or carriers will gain access to the iPhone is still unknown.

Verizon Wireless has been rumored for some time to be on line for an iPhone — a scenario that analyst have called a positive one for Apple — while others have said that Verizon may also be first in line for the Apple tablet.

The move would entail Apple releasing either a CDMA-based version of the iPhone, or a single, updated iPhone that could run on both networks.

No matter what the scenarios that are played out there are plenty of people who are right on the edge of moving to some Android device but have been holding off in hopes of the iPhone escaping the bondage of its AT&T deal. Everyone wants to see it happen except, of course, AT&T. Whether the network criticisms of AT&T are real or not there could be an exodus to other networks if the iPhone can be had someplace else.

For me this may delay my plans to move away from the BlackBerry to an Android device on Verizon. This kind of a result could be just as much of a reason for Apple to make this happen than anything else. If they could slow the adoption rate of the Android smartphones with just the prospect of the iPhone showing up on other networks then that in and of itself is a victory.

So if you are an iPhone user would you jump ship to get on another network if the iPhone were there? And for you folks like me who are not currently an iPhone user what are your plans for the next smartphone you purchase?

If this happens then this should be very interesting for everyone from users to marketers. Your take?

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Facebook Sends Cease And Desist To Friend-Seller

uSocial is a controversial advertising company that specializes in social media.  For a fee, it promises to get stories on the front page of Digg, direct followers to a Twitter account, and/or find someone Facebook fans (among other things).  But Facebook's put at least a temporary stop to the sale of friends.

The BBC reported this afternoon, "Facebook sent Cease and Desist letters to USocial claiming that the way the marketing firm operates violates its rights by sending spam, using web tools to harvest pages, getting login names and by accessing accounts that did not belong to the marketing firm."

As a result, "USocial defended itself against Facebook's claims, saying that it did not spam users or use web tools to gather information about profiles. . . .  However, in response to the legal letters, USocial said it would delete the login information it had collected and broadly stop offering to sell Facebook friends."

This is an interesting development insofar as, three months ago, Twitter also tried to crack down on uSocial.  Its back-channel methods apparently didn't succeed, but now that Facebook's established a precedent, we might see another attempt.  Delicious, Digg, and Reddit could well join the fight, too.

Of course, the hubbub around such a scuffle would act as free advertising for uSocial and might spread the notion that these social media sites can be gamed, so it's also possible that absolutely nothing will occur.

Have You Read This?

> Facebook Puts Privacy Policy In Users' Hands

> Facebook Blocks Popular iLike App

> Want More Facebook Friends?

 

eBay Rethinks Customer Service In Europe

eBay's approach to customer service in Europe is about to change in a big way.  eBay announced today that it will eliminate a full 400 positions in Germany, while at the same time, the company intends to hire 100 new employees in Ireland and establish what it calls a "European Centre of Excellence." 

This move will leave about 600 people working in eBay's German offices, so it doesn't count as a complete gutting.  The fire vs. hire numbers add up to an obvious decrease in the total number of employees, however, so there's no chance that everyone's just getting transferred.  And that's certain to create doubt about whether or not eBay's customer service will actually improve.

But Deborah Davis, eBay's vice president of customer service, defended the shift by claiming in a statement, "Creating a Centre of Excellence in Dublin mirrors the approach we are taking worldwide to focus customer support in key operational hubs.  Our goal is to improve service levels and responsiveness by better leveraging our expertise and knowledge."

eBay might be onto something, too.  Although there was some hubbub when the company chose to close a Vancouver customer service center in May and focus on a Salt Lake City facility, instead, we haven't heard reports about anything catastrophic (or even unusually annoying) happening since.

It should be interesting to see how this turns out, then.  Shareholders should at least approve of the development as a cost-cutting measure.

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