A few weeks ago, I blogged about my new BlackBerry Tour. Since then, I decided to install several applications on the device to make many of my daily tasks more efficient. Some applications come preinstalled on the device, so I will not include those in this list. As an aside, I would have probably included Google’s YouTube app on this list as well, but it is not currently available for my phone model. I am going to guess that may be because the BlackBerry Tour is still  new, and all apps have not been updated for this model as of yet.

In no particular order, following are the top 10 applications that I have installed on my BlackBerry. Also, these applications are all free.

BlackBerry App World
I use this application to search for other BlackBerry apps. Many of the apps that I use are not actually in the BlackBerry App World, but this comes in handy to see which apps are popular in case one of them piques my interst.

TwitterBerry
I am using this application to post updates to my Twitter account. All of the functions do not work always work for me, like all the timeline updates, but the basic ability to post is there, which is what I use it for.

Instango
This is an all-in-one instant messenger service. It allows you to sign on to the main instant messenger services. I had to do some hunting to find this one, but it was worth it. Many similar services charge a fee to use their application, but this one is free.I have it configured for AIM, gChat, and MSN Live Messenger.

Facebook
This is the app that lets me use Facebook on my BlackBerry. The great feature about this is that when updates occur on Facebook, the application notifies you. I do still prefer the Facebook mobile site over this application for use of all the features of Facebook, but the notifications that this app offers let me know when something new has happened.

BBFileScout
I’m a bit of a clean-freak when it comes to my hard disks. If I delete a program, I want to make sure it is completely gone from my computer. I am the same way with the smart phone. I use this application to be able to view and delete files and folders on the device.

YouMail
This is similar to Verizon’s Visual Voicemail service, but it’s free. Yes, it is run by a third party, but it makes the process of perusing and deleting voicemail much more efficient than having to call, listen, and manually save or delete voicemail messages. See who called, when they called, and listen to the voicemail.

iheartradio
This application lets me listen to my favorite radio stations from across the country, live. I save a few bucks a month by not having to pay to listen to the streams of my favorite radio stations online as this app lets your phone act as an FM radio.

Google Voice
Holy Cow. I love this application. The Google Voice service allows me to set up a new phone number from any local that I wish. This app lets me make free calls using that phone number and send and receive SMS text messages. It includes caller ID, voicemail, call screening, and a bevy of other features. This service is not yet available to everyone, so you may need an invite to be able to sign up.

This application in itself is a reason that many iPhone users are switching to BlackBerry. Apple does not currently allow this app to be run on the iPhone.

Google Maps
Another one from the Google family. I use this to find where I am going, all the time. I just input an address, and it will map the directions for me, all from my current or specified location. When I’m driving, the vehicle icon follows along on the map to show where I am. Since this uses triangulation rather than actual GPS, my pinpointed location is not always exact. But this is still good enough to see where I am at any time.

BerryTorch
So you can see in the dark! Use your BlackBerry as a flashlight!

Bonus! The 2 Most Anticipated Apps…
There are two applications that I am looking forward to that have no released yet.

SkyFire
“Watch any video, connect with friends, listen to music, shop, and browse the web using the full-featured PC versions of your favorite websites. With Skyfire, mobile browsing just works – speedy page loads, full video, images and audio. YouTube, Hulu, any web video – you name it – it’s playing on Skyfire. Skyfire is the only mobile browser that supports full Flash and Windows Media videos, including Flash 10 and Silverlight 2.0.”

Tweeteev
“Tweeteev is a disruptive Blackberry and Android client for Twitter. The interface, features and experience that Tweeteev provides will totally change the way you use Twitter on your mobile phone. Stay tuned, coming soon on a mobile device near you.”

BlackBerry Development Fundamentals by John M. Wargo is available November 2009. Until then, get the content of the book before it publishes with the RoughCut version.

The first resource for corporate developers building applications for the gigantic BlackBerry® installed base: 20,000,000+ devices

• Everything developers need to develop for the world’s #1 enterprise mobile platform
• Covers both the “hows” AND the “whys” of BlackBerry development
• Includes detailed coverage of RIM’s newest capabilities
• Identifies BlackBerry’s limitations, and shows how to manage them
• For both experienced mobile developers and those moving from other environments

Fundamentals of BlackBerry® Development is the solution: a comprehensive, independent guide to the platform, its development tools, and today’s best practices for BlackBerry development. Respected third-party BlackBerry developer John Wargo illuminates the entire BlackBerry Mobile Data System platform, identifies the types of applications that can be built for BlackBerry, discusses the platform’s unique capabilities and limitations, shows how to make the right upfront design choices, and walks you through writing and testing efficient, high-performance applications.

Wargo covers both native rich-client BlackBerry applications and web-based mobile applications for both business and consumer environments, and shows how to make the most of BlackBerry’s back-end server components to simplify and optimize communication with virtually any data source. The information in the book applies to developers building apps for their own enterprise’s use as well as to programmers developing apps for sale on the Blackberry app store.

Last week, I attended SIGGRAPH 2009 in New Orleans. Although attendance was low compared to previous years, it was a great show with a lot of great companies and people in attendance.

Pearson had some new titles debuting at the show. See the top products at the InformIT SIGGRAPH page. Save some cash by taking advantage of the discount that is being offered. New titles include:

• OpenGL Shading Language
• OpenGL Programming Guide
• Mastering Unreal Technology, Volume I
• Mastering Unreal Technology, Volume II
• The Elements of Programming
• Python Essential Reference, 4th edition
• Developing Hybrid Applications for the iPhone

At the event, I recorded a few videos. Many of the videos include authors and the great minds behind the scenes of the best selling computer graphics and programming books. Following are videos from the show, including author interviews.

SIGGRAPH is quickly approaching. It takes place August third thru August seventh in New Orleans. This is the “highest quality, most timely educational experiences the community has to offer, presented by the most powerful and most engaging leaders in computer graphics and interactive techniques,” according to the SIGGRAPH Web site.

I am attending for Pearson, the parent company of Addison-Wesley, Prentice Hall, Sams Publishing, Que Publishing, PeachPit, and others. At the event in New Orleans, I will be posting videos and tweeting from the show floor. Keep up to date with these by following my Twitter account (@prebynski) and viewing the InformIT SIGGRAPH page during the event.

Will you be at SIGGRAPH this year? Stop by the Pearson booth, #2609, and say, “Hello!”

SIGGRAPH is “the” event for big screen animation, 3D and graphics programming, CG, and special effects. From the SIGGRAPH web site, a breakdown of the topics covered by audience and exhibitors is as follows:

Pearson has some new titles debuting at the event. See all the new products at the Pearson booth. Save some cash by taking advantage of the discount that is being offered at the InformIT SIGGRAPH page. New titles include:

• The Elements of Programming
• Python Essential Reference, 4th edition
• Developing Hybrid Applications for the iPhone
• OpenGL Shading Language
• OpenGL Programming Guide
• Mastering Unreal Technology, Volume I
• Mastering Unreal Technology, Volume II

At our booth, we will also have samples from the upcoming, updated OpenGL ES 2.0 Programming Guide which includes content for iPhone development.

Other big name exhibitors at the event include Sony, Disney, nVidia, Industrial Light and Magic, and about a billion others. View the complete exhibitor list. This is a huge show, and it should prove to offer a lot of worthwhile face-to-face contacts with the people who make it all happen in the high-end graphics industry.

Remember that I will be posting videos and tweeting from the show floor. Keep up to date with these by following my Twitter account (@prebynski) and viewing the InformIT SIGGRAPH page.

If you have been around me, or worked with me over the past few months, you’ll know that the cell phone I have been toting around was in need of an upgrade. It’s a topic that would infiltrate my mind whenever I thought about mobile technology or happened to drive by a retail cellular store.

I have always been the content owner of a variety of Nokia cell phone models. The Nokia phones I owned weren’t bad by any means, but it just always seemed like there was something better on the market when it came to the latest and greatest in cell phone technology.

I have been deliberating the newest smartphones for a while now, and I always seemed to have a reason why I could wait just a little bit longer before I made the plunge into a new cell phone and accompanying cell phone plan. See, I was not on a contract with my previous cell phone provider. My contract expired a couple years ago, and I have since been on a month-to-month plan. “No commitment” is music to my ears. The idea of having to sign my life away for another couple of years had been a bit intimidating since I always have the thought in the back of my mind that I could end up going anywhere at any given time. But I have come to accept that thought, since I did just sign a new contract.

Also, every time I thought about purchasing a new phone (and signing a new cellular contract), it seemed like a new phone model release was only a couple months away. So why not just wait until the next release? Another factor was the thought that I was on a plan that was giving me a large amount of free minutes per month with the “long time customer” perks. If I were to sign a contract for a smart-phone, I would lose those free minutes.

I was also paying a monthly rate that seemed unbeatable, but then again, it was for just cell phone service, not a data plan. There have been so many reasons to not sign a new cell phone contract that would put me past 2005 in cell phone technology. I was stuck in a cell phone conundrum: I needed to upgrade my cell phone situation, but there were plenty of seemingly-legitimate reasons of why I should not.

Most recently the iPhone, BlackBerry, Palm Pre and HTC Touch smartphone models have been the objects of desire. I can’t say that the Palm and HTC were big contenders, in my mind, although they are no doubt big players in the games of cell phone wars. They just weren’t at the top of my personal list. For me, it seemed to come down to the iPhone and the BlackBerry. Both the iPhone and BlackBerry have large development audiences, which was a big factor in my choice, outside of all the other conventional features.

A couple days ago, I just couldn’t take it anymore. The impulse-bug hit me and I decided that nothing was going to stop me from getting a new phone. So, after it was all said and done, after all the dust had cleared, I ended up going with none other than the latest and greatest BlackBerry model.

I am now the owner of a BlackBerry Tour, model 9630. This sucker seems to have it all. This phone has only been on the market a couple of weeks. I’m sure, in time, I will find a reason to harp on a feature that it does not have, but so far, it’s functionality has kept me efficiently occupied.

What was the deciding factor? The button keypad, as opposed to the iPhone touch-screen keypad. I tried a demo of each phone. It’s not that the iPhone touch-screen was difficult to use or that I’m not a fan of touch screen. I was just able to navigate and type much faster with the BlackBerry keypad. I was able to get used to the BlackBerry faster than the iPhone, and it just felt more natural and made more sense for me than the iPhone.

However, since I am traditionally a PC guy rather than a Mac guy, if I were to make the move to Apple, the phone is probably where it would happen. Don’t get me wrong, I own an iPod, and I use it all the time, but this seems like a basic device compared to many of the others that are on the Apple product line.

Here’s the kicker: To my surprise, I am now paying less than I was for my previous cell phone plan. I even have unlimited Internet usage on the new BlackBerry.

BlackBerry Development Fundamentals by John M. Wargo is available November 2009. Until then, get the content of the book before it publishes with the RoughCut version.

The first resource for corporate developers building applications for the gigantic BlackBerry® installed base: 20,000,000+ devices

• Everything developers need to develop for the world’s #1 enterprise mobile platform
• Covers both the “hows” AND the “whys” of BlackBerry development
• Includes detailed coverage of RIM’s newest capabilities
• Identifies BlackBerry’s limitations, and shows how to manage them
• For both experienced mobile developers and those moving from other environments

Fundamentals of BlackBerry® Development is the solution: a comprehensive, independent guide to the platform, its development tools, and today’s best practices for BlackBerry development. Respected third-party BlackBerry developer John Wargo illuminates the entire BlackBerry Mobile Data System platform, identifies the types of applications that can be built for BlackBerry, discusses the platform’s unique capabilities and limitations, shows how to make the right upfront design choices, and walks you through writing and testing efficient, high-performance applications.

Wargo covers both native rich-client BlackBerry applications and web-based mobile applications for both business and consumer environments, and shows how to make the most of BlackBerry’s back-end server components to simplify and optimize communication with virtually any data source. The information in the book applies to developers building apps for their own enterprise’s use as well as to programmers developing apps for sale on the Blackberry app store.

With all the hype and vast advertising campaign on behalf of Microsoft’s new Bing search engine, there is speculation that Bing could be the biggest competition that search engine giant Google has seen to date. Yahoo search is also in the mix, but it is not as big of a competitor in the search market. Other Web 2.0 services could fall into this realm as well, such as Twitter and Facebook, but they both provide user generated content in a more recent state.

If you’re not sure whether to use Bing or Google, you can use them both at the same time via the bing-vs-google.com search page. Results appear side-by-side from both Bing and Google.

So which is better? I compiled some comparisons and excerpts from around the web regarding search engine wars since Bing entered the market.

From CNN’s Microsoft vs. Google (go to 9:10):

From Bing vs. Google: Consumers Can’t Tell a Difference:

Clearly the Bing campaign is meant to communicate that people will get to the relevant information they want faster than Google. But this almost technical benefit (it’s really about better filtering of search results) is lost in the grandiose promise of Bing as a decision engine. Maybe I am just too independently minded (and not the primary target), but I resist the notion that Microsoft technology will decide anything for me. What I really want is technology to give me the information I need to make the decision I want. But, hey, everyone’s a critic.

So then I went to look at how Bing does deliver in its decision-making promise. I did the first search that came to mind: I searched my name. And Google did much better and was more accurate than Bing by far. In fact, I could compare results very efficiently via a site called bing-vs-google.com that David Pogue of the New York Times introduced to readers.

I tried again, searching the term “online trust.” The results were no more satisfying this time. True, Bing does have a few nifty features like the related searches and the excerpt from the site without having to click around, but beyond that I could see no perceptible difference.

From Bing More Popular Than Twitter, CNN, and Digg:

Bing is now the thirteenth most visited site on the Web, according to one measurement.

It has a long way to go before it beats Google and has yet to overtake Yahoo, but since its release Bing.com had more visitors than Digg, Twitter or CNN, according to Compete.

According to Compete.com, Bing was able to amass 49.57 million unique visitors in its first month as Microsoft’s official search engine. Bing’s traffic trumps that of Digg (38.96 million) Twitter (23 million), and CNN (28.54 million). We want to stress that this focuses on U.S. visitors, since Compete does not track international visits.

From Microsoft’s Bing Vs Google: Head To Head Search Results:

Bing is not a “Google Killer.” It’s also safe to say that Microsoft doesn’t see it that way either. My understanding of what Microsoft believes it has in Bing is a much more competitive product than Live Search. I entirely agree.

My overall assessment is very positive. Kumo, now Bing, has performed well and I’ve been satisfied with the results. There haven’t been any significant deficiencies or missing links (so to speak). While there have been a few occasions where I’ve found Google results to be better, the substantial gap that existed between Google and Live Search is largely gone with Bing.

Microsoft has integrated the Powerset technology to varying degrees and made numerous algorithmic improvements on the “back end” that are largely opaque to me. More obvious are the interface upgrades and changes. While many people are accustomed — even habituated — to the Google UI, I appreciated the often richer visual presentation and generally “cleaner” organization of Bing SERPs.

So now you’re probably thinking will I start using Bing instead of Google?

To be candid I don’t see myself giving up Google, especially given the default Firefox browser integration. But I can also honestly say that while I almost never used Live Search except to write about it, I will indeed use Bing.

From Google One-Ups Bing With Creative Commons Image Search (GOOG, MSFT):

Google added a “Usage Rights” filter to its advanced image search feature. Search results can be filtered by “labeled for reuse,” “commercial” reuse,” “reuse with modification,” and “commercial reuse with modification.”

Until now, bloggers used Flickr and other image sites to find content they could re-post under Creative Commons licenses. Google’s new feature, in theory, adds much more inventory.

Google will look for images that are marked with Creative Commons and other licenses, GNU Free Documentation license and those that are in the public domain. The company does warn, however, that it’s up to users to make sure that the image’s license is valid for their use and that the licensing information is accurate.

Meanwhile, Microsoft’s Bing — which has some great image-search features that Google doesn’t, like “just faces” and “head & shoulders” — does not seem to have a Creative Commons-only filter.

From Five Reasons Why Microsoft Does Not Need To Worry About Google Chrome OS:

Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) still hasn’t commented on Google’s plans to introduce an operating system of its own. An official statement is coming later today and we’ll post it here when it comes out. (Update: Microsoft now says it will in fact not comment). But there are lots of reasons why Microsoft does not need to be too concerned about Google’s foray into its home turf. Here are five:

—Windows 7 is not Vista: Google’s operating system, which is initially targeted for netbooks, will only be available starting in mid-2010. By then, Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows 7, will have been on the market for at least nine months. Unlike its predecessor Windows Vista, Windows 7 has received rave early reviews. Also unlike Vista, Microsoft has promised that Windows 7 will work as well on netbooks as on high-end gaming PCs. As one Microsoft employee wrote on his blog today, “If Win7 didn’t have a SKU for Netbooks, this might even be interesting.” Microsoft will therefore be in a strong position to defend its turf than when Chrome OS comes out

—Microsoft is building its own browser optimized to run web apps: Like Google (NSDQ: GOOG), Microsoft understands that more people are running applications from within the browser—and is moving quickly to adapt its products to that reality. The company’s research arm, Microsoft Research, is developing a new browser called Gazelle, which it describes as a “browser-based OS” optimized to run web apps. Just last week, the company put out a summary of the principles behind the project.

—Chrome OS will compete with Ubuntu: Chrome OS—which is open source—will further fragment the open source operating system market, since it will provide yet another option, writes Renai LeMay at ZDNet. This comes just as Ubuntu was becoming the dominant choice. He writes, “In this context, Google’s decision to create its own Linux distribution and splinter the Linux community decisively … can only be seen as foolhardy and self-obsessive.” That could obviously benefit Microsoft.

—Are consumers ready for a life on the web? Most of the user experience in Chrome OS will take place on the web, so it’s not likely that computers with the operating system installed will be able to run any Windows applications. That will likely limit adoption. Writes Bernstein Research’s Jeffrey Lindsay, “Google would need to rely on people to more fully adopt web-based services (a long-dated proposition), or for software developers to port their applications over to Chrome OS.”

—Google’s track record outside of search is poor: Google has launched other high-profile attacks on Microsoft products, with only limited success so far. The company has gone after Office with Google Docs and Internet Explorer with Chrome. Both products may have generated lots of buzz but not much market share. And, of course, Microsoft is also going on the offensive, with its revamped search engine Bing, which directly targets Google’s core business.

From Bing, the Imitator, Often Goes Google One Better:

At first, Bing is pretty much Google. Oh, there’s a big National Geographic-y photo on the home page instead of plain white, but otherwise it’s the same deal: a search box; a menu that offers to complete what you’re typing; and inconspicuous links to Images, Videos, News, Shopping and Maps.

Once you hit Enter, however, you can’t help noticing Bing’s more concerted effort to get you answers faster. To minimize the clicking, the hunting, the dead ends.

For starters, how’s this for a dream feature? Point to any search result without clicking; a pop-up balloon shows you the first few paragraphs of text on it. Without leaving the results list, you know if it’s going to be helpful. Simple and irresistible.

Here’s another example. On Google, search results usually appear as a long list of blue text links. Occasionally, a photo appears, too. Or, if there’s only one possible answer for your query (weather, stock price, sports scores, street address), you get that answer right at the top: a five-day weather forecast, a stock chart, game scores, a street map. In those cases, you don’t have to click through to anything on the search results list.

Bing does all that, too. But it also expands those “let me make sense of this for you” results — in a big, beautiful, very successful way — by introducing a new panel to the left of the search results.

For example, if you search for a celebrity’s name, that space offers an attractive table of common-sense links: News, Movies, Quotes, Biography and Images. When you search for a sports team, you see Schedule, Tickets, Stadium, History and Wallpaper. When you search for a medical condition, that table offers Causes, Remedies, Treatment, Prognosis and News.

Aren’t those almost always the answers you’re really looking for?

That panel also lists Related Searches, which require one click and zero thinking. If you searched for “barbecue,” it offers Barbecue Grills, Barbecue Recipes, Barbecue Ribs and so on.

Finally, the same panel maintains your search history, to save you the trouble of reformulating your quests. (It also offers Turn Off and Clear All buttons, for the benefit of — well, you know who you are.)

Yes, that left-side panel creates more clutter; Google’s appeal has always been its sparse, streamlined look. But it’s well worth the space.

Both Bing and Google offer an Image Search page, where you can find photos from the Web of anyone or anything. On Bing, however, the results page scrolls forever — you don’t have to keep clicking Next, Next, Next. More photos fit in less space, too, since all the cluttery text details (pixel size, file name, originating Web site) are hidden until you point at a thumbnail. And you can adjust the thumbnail size.

Options on the left-side panel let you limit the image results in various ways: by size, by graphic type, even “just faces” or “head & shoulders” shots. Amazing.

As on Google, you can search for videos. But on Bing, you can preview the results far more efficiently. Just point to a thumbnail (without clicking) in the search results, and the video begins to play back sample segments, seven seconds at a time, right there on the thumbnail.

The rest of Bing’s advantages are supposed to stem from four huge search categories: travel, shopping, health and local business information. These sorts of searches produce special displays that trounce Google’s eye-glazing text lists — sometimes.

When you’re shopping for a particular product — “Canon SD870,” for example — the top result is a tidy chart, summarizing everything you’d want to know: a photo, price, average rating, and even a Photo Quality graph.

(Bing’s Shopping results also make it clear when you’ll get 1 to 5 percent cash back, courtesy of Microsoft’s Cashback program. In essence, Microsoft passes on to you some of the bounty that it receives from 540 online advertisers, such as J&R, Hewlett-Packard, Gap and others. Paying you to use Bing for shopping feels desperate and even a little sleazy on Microsoft’s part, but it’s real money, and you may as well exploit it while it lasts.)

When you search for a flight, a similar table offers the cheapest fare (“$259 JFK>LAX”) and links to other deals. An icon tells you whether prices are about to go up, down or stay the same. That detail is brought to you by Farecast.com, which Microsoft bought last year for $115 million.

Unfortunately, these features don’t always work. You get the shopping info summary with “Canon SD870,” but not “Nikon D5000,” let alone “Palm Pre,” “TiVo HD” or “iPod Nano.” (Microsoft points out that the summary table appears more often if you click the Shopping link before you search. But come on, who has time for that?)

Similarly, it’s hard to predict when those fare-prediction icons will appear. Last week, they were showing up when you searched for “Chicago to Atlanta,” but not when you use the corresponding airport codes (“ORD to ATL”); Microsoft fixed that this week. But fare predictions aren’t available for smaller airports (Cleveland, New Orleans, Washington National).

In short, these much-vaunted Bing specialty searches feel a little flaky.

Google is still way ahead on other kinds of searches, like movie showtimes: You get a complete table of nearby movies, complete with trailers, reviews and even links to IMDB.com (the Internet movie database).

Google also wins with maps and driving directions; it offers features like Street View (actual photos along your route) and the ability to drag the colored route line to alternative roadways with your mouse (to avoid a traffic jam or take a favorite shortcut).

On the other hand, Bing wins on traffic searches (such as “traffic nyc”), where you get a color-coded map of current traffic speeds without having to dig. It also excels with company name searches; the 800 number for customer service appears right in the results list.

But search services are constantly in flux. They’re online, so their creators can keep refining them without making you install anything. Bing will keep getting better — but so, inevitably, will Google. If Google doesn’t eventually respond by making its own results more manageable in Bingish ways, I’ll eat my hat.

Furthermore, beyond the basics, Bing is still just a baby. It lacks some of Google’s mature additional services like book searches and Google News (built-it-yourself online newspaper).

From Search Smackdown: Bing Vs. Google:

- searching for ‘Google’

Google will show news results about themselves first, and a link to their homepage later, which makes sense since people are probably already on there. The rest of the results consists of Google products and local versions of the search service. Noteworthy difference is the presence of a button that lets you drop down a widget displaying information about Google’s stock without the need to leave the page.

Bing, on the other hand, provides a list of possible extended search queries on the left sidebar, and a list of useful direct links to Google services below the first result. It also lists ’similar’ searches on the right sidebar (not visible in this screenshot) with alternative services – Bing being the first one they recommend. It also displays a box that you can use to jump to Google search, and it keeps track of your search history right on the page, unless you turn that feature off.

- searching for ‘TechCrunch’

Google only shows internal network links on the first SERP with the exception of our Twitter account, Netvibes profile and Wikipedia entry, while Bing mostly shows links to third-party services (Wikipedia, OnSugar, Flux, Blip.tv, AboutUs.org, Facebook, GitHub, Mahalo, etc.). From the viewpoint of TC the company, the latter situation is not ideal, and to top it off running the query on Bing apparently means potential visitors will see the names of competing blogs in the left sidebar. On the upside, you can open the Wikipedia article on TechCrunch on the same page, which makes for a seamless user experience if information about us was what you were looking for.

- searching for ‘Linux’

Using Google, you get much better results for this query, period. Google lists at least five very relevant links (Kernel.org, Debian.org, RedHat.com, LinuxJournal.com and LI.org) that you will not find in the first 15 search results on Bing. No nifty sidebars, nor any amount of spot-on similar results will help Microsoft here.

- searching for ‘Office Space quotes’

Here, Bing takes the top prize, although with this particular query the results are much more similar, which can be attributed to the fact that it is more detailed (three words instead of one like the other examples). Why do I say that? Because Bing is the only one of both that correctly lists the movie Office Space’s Wikipedia entry in the first few results, while Google doesn’t even list until the fifth page of results (both rank Wikiquote quite high). Also, this is where the extended search options in the left sidebar at Bing really shine: ‘Office Space sound clips’, ‘Office Space WAV files’, ‘Office Space Clips’, etc. – that’s the stuff you’d likely be looking for.

It is far too early and this is far too unscientific a research method to jump to any conclusions – we’d need a Jump to Conclusions mat  for that – but using Savage’s tool gives you a nice clean overview of what most people who’ve tried both engines today: Google and Bing at the very least feel very different, and while you can argue about the quality of one engine versus the other back and forth as much as you want, it’s painfully clear both need improvement. Of course, if there continues to be no clear winner on the quality front, then Google has already won the battle before it starts, expensive ad campaigns be damned.

That said, please allow me to reiterate a point Michael made yesterday as well as in the past, that I most definitely agree with: Microsoft is damn right not to give up the search game yet like some are suggesting  they should. Please stop calling for a monopoly in search, let these companies compete and fight hard for every user, and I’m sure we’ll see more innovation in this space soon enough.

From Bing vs. Google vs. Yahoo: Feature Smackdown:

In the arena of world-class search, can Bing bring the hurt to Google and Yahoo? Microsoft’s newest search engine comes packed with search tools such as an Explorer Pane for refining searches, Quick Previews for sneaking a peek at a site before visiting it, and Sentiment Extraction for making sense of product reviews.

Google and Yahoo, meanwhile, are no chumps. Google has outwitted its competitors by delivering solid search results and cool tools such as Street Views. Yahoo has done a masterful job of integrating search results with its rich network of Yahoo content. Search for the musician Sting within Yahoo, and presto–you’re watching Yahoo music videos or listening to streaming audio of Sting singing “Desert Rose” from within your search results.

How do these services stack up against each other? Bing targets four categories of search: shopping, local, travel, and health. In a highly subjective comparison, I tested Bing, Google, and Yahoo in these areas and in others.

From Microsoft bets that Bing will beat Google:

Ashley Highfield, the managing director of consumer and online for Microsoft in the UK, said: “Having a single dominant player in any market is a huge opportunity. Agencies and clients are crying out for a rival to Google.”

Microsoft’s Windows system currently runs a search engine called Live Search, which has struggled to capture even 10 per cent of searches in the US. Google has 64 per cent and Yahoo! 20 per cent. Rebecca Jennings, an IT market analyst at Forrester, said: “Clearly Microsoft has to differentiate itself. Looking to overtake Google is brave, even Yahoo! will prove a challenge. People are so used to Google, shifting them will be hard.”

Bing goes live in the US on 1 June, and will launch in Britain later this year. It is currently running a beta, or testing, site in Britain.

There is a team of 60 people working on tailoring the site to the UK market and the search centre has been developed in the UK since October. Mr Highfield added that it is not an extension of Live; “it is more starting again”.

The engine is run on cutting edge algorithms, which work on tailoring searches much closer to what customers want. “The more you use it, the better it gets,” Mr Highfield said. It is hoping to entice consumers with the relevance and quality of its information, as well as simplify the searches.

“People are used to web search 1.0. Google pretty much looks the same as it did 10 years ago. This website really takes it on. It cuts out so much of what isn’t wanted. In two or three years this is how search will happen,” he added.

Forrester’s Ms Jennings said: “Bing will live or die on how clever it is, and how it learns what consumers want. It is creating a brand from scratch so marketing will be crucial.”

Microsoft is betting heavily on this being a success. It has spent “a lot of money. This is a major investment,” Mr Highfield said, although would not reveal the exact sum. The company is believed to have earmarked a budget of between $80m to $100m on marketing the launch alone. Mr Highfield said: “It is important that the product lands well. This is a statement of intent for a product that is game changing. It is the next generation of research.”

He also pointed to dissatisfaction with the current search engines. Data provider comScore found that almost a third of searches are abandoned without a satisfactory result. The company added there were currently 37 million search users in the UK alone.

Microsoft was highly secretive in the run up to the launch and gave the project a codename of Kumo, which is Japanese for cloud or spider. It launched yesterday with the line: “What you have Bing searching for.”

There are huge advertising revenues to play for. Search ads have held up relatively well despite the downturn according to Alex Hoye, the chief executive of the digital marketing agency Latitude. The UK search industry was worth £2.75bn in 2008, according to Econsultancy, up from £2.2bn in 2007. In the US, the value of the search market was put at $15.7bn (£9.83bn) by the Search Engine Marketing Professional Organisation.

Mr Hoye of Latitude, whose clients including Tesco Personal Finance and Land Rover, said: “It is a relatively lopsided market share for Google at the moment. We market across all three of the major search engines, but the majority spending is on Google.

“Live struggled to bring in advertising revenue and the company has changed its plans to make the service pay. “We can monetise it more effectively because of the information detail. It can be more actively targeted,” Mr Highfield said. Mr Hoye said Bing looked good but it was hard to judge whether it would pull in the users: “People will go to where the results are best and the advertising will follow.”

Which search engine do you use? Has the introduction of Bing influenced your search habits?

The power of Online video is no joke. It’s relevancy on the Web is increasing. Brian Haven of Forrester Research noted that, “…marketers need to be more creative with their messages and targeting. To leverage online video in order to target customers effectively, marketers must think like content providers by creating entertaining video, not just placing ads. Some retail brands, such as Amazon, Borders, Best Buy, and Gap, actually have significant numbers of their customers viewing online video — making them a prime target.”

According to Nielsen:

• The number of American users frequenting online video destinations has climbed 339 percent since 2003.
• Time spent on video sites has shot up almost 2,000 percent over the same period.
• In the last year alone, unique viewers of online video grew 10 percent, the number of streams grew 41 percent, the streams per user grew 27 percent and the total minutes engaged with online video grew 71 percent.

Now, I’m not going to say that I am the most entertaining person in the world, nor do I come close to it, but a few months ago, I began hosting a live, Online show about the Web and social media. I decided to call it Web Trends. By doing the show, I hope to be able to grow the interest of others with social media and offer others a dynamic method of staying involved with news and thought leaders of the Web.

From a strategy standpoint, Web Trends may help to build the brand of my online presence within social media as well as provide a dynamic method of relating to those who are interested in or want to learn more about the topics that I am interested in. It also gives others an outlet to express their viewpoints and offer opinions on social media.

Could any of the video content become viral? It would be a pleasant benefit if the popularity of the video suddenly skyrocketed, but I do the show because I enjoy doing it. According to The Pew Internet & American Life Project, “More than half of online video viewers (57%) share links to the video they find with others, and three in four (75%) say they receive links to watch video that others have sent to them.”

I have met and interviewed intriguing people through the show. They have all been kind enough to share their thoughts on various Web technologies, and the show would not be what it is without the people who have participated. I haven’t interviewed a guest on every show, but so far, the guests have included Kyle Lacy (kylelacy.com) and Esteban Contreras (socialnerdia.com) among many others. The live show and database of all shows can be found at webtrends.tv

At this time, I may not have a specific course that I want to take the show in terms of content flow and direction, but I know that I enjoy talking to others involved with social media and Web technology. If you have an idea for the show, you know the drill. Right now, the show takes place on Mondays at 9PM EST at webtrends.tv.

Audio and Video Podcasts That Teach and Inform

Get conversations & tips from leading experts across a wide range of topics. Learn from thought leaders, & best-selling authors from varied disciplines. Get exclusive content from industry experts at informit.com/onpodcasts

Search Engine Optimization is becoming more organic with the content produced through social media. Before social media, it was a competitive practice to get a web site to the top of search engines, and was achieved largely by using methods that are becoming outdated.

Of the many techniques that factor into the algorithms of search engine rankings, a couple of the significant methods were meta tag relevance and the content on an actual web page. Both are still relevant, but the content of a web page has a greater effect on search engine rankings than meta tags, whereas meta tags used to have a greater effect than they do now.

In a nutshell, if a web site has content in it that is updated regularly, there is a greater chance that the actual search words and key terms that people put into a search will be part of the web page’s updated content than if the page is not updated often. This practice helps with the SEO of a page more than meta tags. With social media, the updating of web pages is becoming more organic because end users do not have to edit an actual web page and re-upload web page content. Social media content can be easily integrated into a web site, thus making it much easier to update the content of a particular site.

Since the algorithms that search engines use to rank pages changes frequently, nobody (other than search engine company insiders) really knows the exact formulas that specific search engines use to rank pages. Included in the algorithms (according to Wiliam Web Design) are:

• Crawlability / Indexability
• Keyword Choice
• Browser Title
• Site Architecture
• Link Popularity / Reciprocal Links
• Top Level Domain and URL Path
• Age of the Site
• Hosting Location, Speed and Reliability
• Keyword Use in Body Text
• Meta Description

However, with search engine optimization being so competitive, and becoming more competitive by the day, end users are always looking for ways to get a step ahead of the competition with search engine rankings.

Hence, Black Hat SEO is somewhat of a problem for search engines. Black Hat SEO is the practice of using unscrupulous SEO tactics to get a web site listed higher in search engine rankings. The practice of takes advantage of search engine algorithms in order to increase the page rank of a particular web site.

One method of Black Hat SEO is to take advantage of key term usage in the actual content of a web page. What this means is that people who are updating the content on web pages purposely stuff the page with popular search terms in order to get a particular page ranked higher on search engines. This can be achieved in blog posts, static content, or in the header and footer of a web page. Old school techniques of this would include making the text invisible on a page by having the text color match the background color but including the content it as part of the actual content in the web page. This is known as “keyword stuffing.”

The other method of Black Hat SEO is building various pages that all link among each other. This is where the terms “link farms” or “spamdexing” come into play. Link farms are able to be created manually, but with dynamic content capabilities, many are created with automated web page publishing programs. A link farm spams the index of search engines.

Both of these methods of Black Hat SEO are frowned-upon practices and can lead to removal of web sites from search engine results. It’s a risky practice, and many times leads to failure due to search engines eventually blocking a site from its database that has evidence Black Hat SEO practices.

Having experienced the evolution of development and marketing techniques of Facebook Fan Pages, I’m a sucker for interesting ways in which to enhance the appearance and functionality of pages. There is one standard capability of a Facebook Fan Page that seems to be underutilized but could be beneficial for those who wish to use it. First, I think it’s in the best interest of this article to provide a quick synopsis of a few Facebook pages. After that, I’ll outline the capability that seems to be the best kept secret of Facebook Fan Pages.

As opposed to MySpace, Facebook keeps a uniform design for various user pages, whether they be for groups, fan pages, profiles, or otherwise. I would argue that this is a good feature, but the design continuity of Facebook Fan Pages is an argument for another day.
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Over time, anybody who develops or markets Facebook Fan Pgaes is bound to pick up some tips and tricks for more effective design, development, and acceptance among potential fans.

Callan Green recently wrote the blog post “Killer Facebook Fan Pages: 5 Inspiring Case Studies.” (For the record, I think better options could have been selected as the “Killer Facebook Fan Pages.” ) The fan pages mentioned in Green’s post are:

• Pringles
• Coca-Cola
• Starbucks
• Adidas
• Red Bull

Before I go any further, I want to point out the ability to add applications to Facebook Fan Pages. Applications can be custom built within the Facebook platform to achieve nearly any functionality or design that a user needs to accomplish for a fan page. This means that the main area of a fan page can also be designed any way that a designer wants to design the page. The same header and footer exist on all Facebook pages, but an application can be designed any way that the designer chooses.

With this in mind, it would be beneficial for any fan page that uses a custom built application to use a custom design for the application s well. For example, if I work for Company-A, and Company-A has a great idea for a custom Facebook application, it should have a custom design as well.

Now, jumping back to “Killer Facebook Fan Pages: 5 Inspiring Case Studies,” only two of them had applications on the fan page that seemed to be custom built for that company’s presence on Facebook: Adidas and Red Bull. Not only that, but Adidas seemed to spare no expense in the creation of its application; it was built with dynamic, Flash functionality. The Red Bull “Athletes On Twitter” application seemed to be pretty innovative as well. But all of the mentioned pages seemed to be missing on crucial step. I’ll get to that step in a minute.

Of course, one of the main aspects of Facebook is the ability to nurture conversation. It’s not necessarily a negative aspect that all of these pages default to the wall tab of the fan page. A custom application can also have conversational capabilities built into it.

Anybody who is on Facebook knows about the wall area of a profile or fan page. It’s a given. Not everybody will know of a custom built Facebook application on a fan page, if such an application exists. Taking these two points into consideration, I think it would be quite beneficial for any custom-built application, or any application that should be highlighted, to be the default tab that is viewed when visiting a Facebook Fan Page. Since users are already familiar with the wall tab, they will know to go to this tab if they want to see the most recent conversation, but they will not always know, or be inclined to, visit other tabs on a fan page if they are not familiar with its content or existence.

But if a Facebook application is custom built for a Facebook Fan Page, shouldn’t it be the highlight of the fan page? Of course!

The Best Kept Secret of Facebook Fan Pages is the ability to set the default landing tab that is viewed when visiting a Facebook Fan Page.

In order for the end user to automatically view the tab of a Facebook Fan Page that I want them to view, I have done this on a few fan pages that I have created. For example, take a look at the fan pages for Microsoft Developers and Microsoft IT Professionals.

You’ll note that both of these fan pages default to a tab other than the normal wall tab. Setting a default landing tab on a fan page is quite a simple task.

How to Set the Default Landing Tab on a Facebook Fan Page

1. Go to the Wall Tab
2. Click on the “Settings” button
3. Use the drop-down menu for “Default Landing Tab for Everyone Else” to select the default viewable tab

Cloud Computing

With the idea of cloud computing growing and, consequently, crossing my path more often, I thought it might be helpful to offer a quick outline of what cloud computing is and how it works, as I see it.

The first term to identify is “cloud.” What is the cloud? Basically, the cloud is a fancy term for the Internet, outside of your local network. The cloud is a concept for the complex infrastructure it conceals. For example, you could have an internal network of 35 computers set up at your office, but once information travels outside of that network to, say, Yahoo, it is traveling to the cloud.

Why is it important? The cloud is important because more and more, software, data access, and integral system process are being hosted in the cloud rather than on internal, expensive, difficult-to-maintain hardware. For example, rather than purchasing a set of Web servers, hiring an IT professional to maintain the hardware and software, and installing all software at an on-site location, Web hosting that is located in the cloud can be used much more efficiently and in a more cost-effective manner.

Usage of the cloud is becoming more prevalent with the use of online systems that provide an API, such as CRM software and mashups that are developed from existing Web-based applications that exist in diverse areas of the Web. Cloud computing goes hand-in-hand with Web 2.0, mashups, and the emerging Web.

Where is it all heading? Think of an operating system that is not installed on your local computer but rather exists in the cloud and is accessed via a speedy connection to the Web. The result is less dependency on local systems which, in turn, reduces maintenance costs.

“What makes these offerings so interesting is their promise to turn enormous amounts of operational competency and accumulated economies of scale (which are enormous in Amazon’s and Google’s cases) into a highly competitive new software platform, akin to Windows or Linux, except entirely hosted off-premises and on the Internet,” said Dion Hinchliffe.

I know it was quick, but hopefully that outlines the cloud in an understandable manner for those who are new to the term.

Falling From the Clouds – My First Skydiving Adventure

Speaking of clouds, I recently went skydiving. It was a first for me, but I’m definitely looking forward to a second. It was quite an experience. The biggest surprise for me was the lack of a “stomach-rush.” You know that feeling that you get in your stomach when going down a hill on a roller coaster? I didn’t have that feeling at all when skydiving. The anticipation of falling was certainly as adrenaline-filled as actually falling through the air from 12,000 feet up.

Coming Soon from Addison Wesley!

Cloud Computing and SOA Convergence in Your Enterprise: A Step-by-Step Guide is the first authoritative, all-in-one decision-maker’s guide to SaaS, SOA, mashups, Web 2.0, and cloud computing- and what they’ll mean to IT.

Massive, disruptive change is coming to IT, as Software as a Service (Saas), SOA, mashups, Web 2.0, and cloud computing truly come of age. This book is a coherent, comprehensive, and authoritative guide to what it all means.

• Reveals the massive disruption coming to IT and enterprise architecture, showing IT leadership how to prepare for it — and take full advantage of it
• Shows how to fully leverage IT resources and data “beyond the company gates,” while still keeping the barbarians at bay
• Written by one of the world’s most respected experts in cloud computing, SOA, and enterprise architecture

Writing for IT executives, architects, and technical professionals alike, world-renowned expert David Linthicum previews the coming Enterprise Architecture Disruption, showing how to prepare for it – and how to take maximum advantage of it. Linthicum explains why the days of managing IT organizations as private fortresses will rapidly disappear, as IT inevitably becomes a global community.

He demonstrates how to run IT when critical elements of customer, product, and business data and processes are populated by sources beyond the firewall – and how to use all that information to deliver real-time answers about everything from an individual customer’s credit to the location of a specific cargo container. Linthicum offers a clear-eyed assessment of the challenges associated with this new world – and offers a six step program for getting there with maximum ROI and minimum risk.

I am just going back to the office after being out for a couple weeks. Two weeks ago, I was in LA for the Microsoft TechEd conference. Last week, I was enjoying a vacation in Taiwan.

Attendance at this year’s TechEd show was down quite a bit compared to years past, which was expected as attendance is down across the board at seemingly all industry events. However, everyone who went from Pearson enjoyed the show and what it brings to the table for those who use Microsoft technologies; both IT Pros and Developers.

We met many of our end consumers who use our products on a regular basis as well as introduced many of our products to those who may not have been as familiar with what we have to offer. We had daily drawings to win our LiveLessons titles as well! If you stopped by the Pearson/Addison-Wesley/Sams booth, we thank you!

For those interested in the show, we put together a couple eBooks for IT Pros and Developers. The eBooks include content from top books on Microsoft technologies. Get the eBook and explore some hot titles at http://informit.com/teched09.

Bookmark these new pages, as they will be updated regularly:

Microsoft IT Pros: http://informit.com/msitpro
Microsoft Developers: http://informit.com/msdeveloper

Were you at TechEd? What did you think of the show? What are some of the noteworthy Microsoft technologies that you use regularly or are looking forward to from Microsoft?

My trip to Taiwan was pretty exciting. It was my first trip overseas, and I definitely experienced a different way of life for a while. It’s not the biggest island in the world, but it definitely has a diverse landscape of bustling cities, barren outer landscapes, green farmlands, rocky seascapes, mountains, and busy people.

Taipei was my hub, but I was able to meet some great people and traveled from the north tip to the south tip of the country.

I posted more than 150 pictures and videos from the trip on my Facebook page. Add me as a Facebook friend, and view the media from the adventure!