只要奧巴馬簽署相關法案，Netflix將在2013年增加‘社交功能’ 科技博客TPM IdeaLab

????早在2011年，加拿大和拉丁美洲的Netflix用戶就可以將賬號與Facebook綁定，分享觀影記錄。不過，Netflix一直沒有把這項功能引入自己的大本營——美國。這是由于1988年頒布的“視頻隱私保護法案”（VPPA）。該法案禁止公司透露與用戶相關的任何“個人識別信息”，例如租賃記錄等，除非法律調查等特殊情況，否則將面臨起訴。

蘋果中國代工工廠的人性化改革 《紐約時報》

????人文關懷正在進行中。廠房里樓梯較低的天花板上安裝了泡沫。嗡嗡作響的機器中加裝了自動關閉裝置。濮小姐得到了夢寐以求的椅子。這個秋天，她甚至還聽說一些工友收到了柔軟的坐墊。

????這些變化還延伸到了蘋果（Apple）總部所在地加州。去年，這家電子行業巨頭將企業社會責任部的員工數量增加了兩倍，同時開始重新評估與代工商的關系。蘋果甚至還要求競爭對手協助自己控制中國工人的過度加班，甚至一改常態，主動開始與勞工組織接觸。

谷歌的移動未來已經到來 科技博客TECHCRUNCH

????那么，這與Google Now有何聯系？眼鏡計劃（Project Glass）本質上就是Google Now加上增強現實技術以及可穿戴計算。上方視頻中展示的谷歌眼睛所有功能中，唯一一項尚未在Google Now中實現的重要功能是與朋友分享位置信息。這顯然已經不再是什么技術難題。但我感覺谷歌暫時之所以沒有在Google Now中添加此功能是為了避免用戶對該服務的隱私問題感到不安。

蘋果 vs.谷歌 vs.Facebook vs.亞馬遜 《華爾街日報》

????毫無疑問，這四家公司都把搜索視為吸引用戶、從中獲利的一大法寶。谷歌搜索法盛行多年——用戶在搜索框中敲入文字進行搜索。現在，競爭對手們祭出兩大秘密武器，打算對谷歌反戈一擊：大力發展智能手機等移動搜索；推出一系列有好友推薦功能的搜索服務。

Netflix 'social features' coming in 2013, once president signs bill [TPM IdeaLab]

????Users in Canada and Latin America have had the ability to link Netflix and Facebook accounts and share viewed movies since 2011, but Netflix hasn't moved to offer it in its home country, the U.S., yet, due to a 1988 law — the Video Privacy Protection Act (VPPA). The law prohibits companies from disclosing "personally identifiable information," including rental history, about any consumer, except in some special cases, such as for law enforcement investigations — or else they can be sued.

Signs of changes taking hold in electronics factories in China [THE NEW YORK TIMES]

????Other reforms were more personal. Protective foam sprouted on low stairwell ceilings inside factories. Automatic shut-off devices appeared on whirring machines. Ms. Pu got her chair. This autumn, she even heard that some workers had received cushioned seats.

????The changes also extend to California, where Apple is based. Apple, the electronics industry's behemoth, in the last year has tripled its corporate social responsibility staff, has re-evaluated how it works with manufacturers, has asked competitors to help curb excessive overtime in China and has reached out to advocacy groups it once rebuffed.

Google's mobile future is now [TECHCRUNCH]

????So what's the connection with Google Now? Project Glass is essentially Google Now plus augmented reality and wearable computing. Out of all of the Google Glass features you see in the video above, the only really important one that isn't implemented in Google Now yet is location sharing with your friends. That's obviously not a major technical problem anymore, but my feeling is Google is holding back from adding something like this to Now for the time being to avoid making users feel queasy about the privacy implications of the service.

Apple vs. Google vs. Facebook vs. Amazon [THE WALL STREET JOURNAL]

????Meanwhile, all four companies see search as a big opportunity for retaining and profiting off customers. While Google's paradigm of typing queries in a search box has prevailed for years, now its rivals want to undercut the Web-search giant through mobile search on smartphones and other devices, and a slew of search services that allow recommendations from friends.