Google Maps Adds D.C. Transit Info

Transit directions in Google Maps for Android have been available for two years, including directions for 440 transit systems. Washington, D.C. is the latest city to be added.

Each page now includes a list of upcoming scheduled departures for different lines, all the transit lines serving the station, and links to nearby transit stations.

Google LatLong

Dump Steve Ballmer?

David Einhorn, hedge fund manager for Greenlight Capital, called for the Microsoft chief to step down on Wednesday during a speech at an investor conference. Ballmer's presence is the biggest drag on Microsoft's stock, according to Einhorn. The high-profile investor also blamed Ballmer for wasting billions on research and referred to Bing as a 'sinkhole,' according to The New York Times. Microsoft's stock is widely considered undervalued at under 10 times its expected earnings, according to Reuters.

Calls to rid Ballmer from Microsoft's helm are nothing new.

Dumping Steve Ballmer: Microsoft's Pros and Cons

Google Mobile Wallet: Who Controls the SIM?

Google is expected to announce today its mobile wallet program, working with MasterCard. To do that Google will need to have control over the near field communications secure element, which it does on the Nexus S. That obviously raises the question of which participant in the ecosystem will control the credentials loading function as mobile wallet or NFC-based mobile payment services proliferate.

Mobile service providers will want to control that credentials process themselves, to retain a vital role in the mobile payments and mobile wallet businesses. Handset manufacturers, for the same reason, will want to maintain control of the credentials management to add value to their handsets and create the platform for new revenue streams.

Google Wallet phone-pay is coming

Google to Launch Mobile Wallet Today

Google on May 26, 2011 is expected to announce its new mobile payments service in partnership with MasterCard, Citibank, Spring and various retailers. The mobile wallet service will work for the moment on the Google Nexus S device that comes equipped natively with near field communications capability.

The service will use "PayPass" retailer terminals supplied by MasterCard. The program will launch in five cities, including New York,San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, D.C in the summer of 2011. Macy's, American Eagle and Subway will feature the payment system alongside customer rewards programs.

In taking a mobile wallet approach, also now the stated goal of Isis, Google clearly is aiming not at the transaction revenue, but at other opportunities ranging from loyalty to local advertising and promotion.

The Mobile Payment Wars Are Officially Underway - Technology - The Atlantic Wire

PayPal Mobile generating $6M daily in total payment volume

Mobile payment volume on PayPal Mobile is expected to more than double by year’s end to cross $2 billion. The eBay-owned payments service currently generates up to $6 million in total payment volume each day.

PayPal Mobile generating $6M daily in total payment volume

Comcast Tests Over the Top Delivery

Comcast is getting ready to test its own streaming delivery system that would, in principle, allow Comcast to deliver linear programming to any customer with an Internet connection, regardless of whether they live in an area covered by Comcast's cable system.

That capability obviously will depend on getting content rights to do so, as well as a decision by Comcast about how to do so without cannibalizing its existing "in territory" operations, and without disrupting the industry's famously collegial approach to doing business, where cable operators simply do not directly compete against other cable operators.

Comcast executives say they simply want to deliver such video to customers in the current footprint for now. But it is one more potential brick in the foundation of full over the top delivery.

Comcast Tests Same Technology Used by Online-Video Rivals - WSJ.com

Twitter Sees Content as a Big Opportunity

Among the opportunities Twitter sees for its ecosystem are monitoring, content curation, enterprise features, publishing and content. Those also are areas where Twitter seems to believe its partners can do better than Twitter itself.

Twitter: Here Are The Kinds Of Apps We Promise Not To Kill