Since I was exposed to a very similar theme across three different conversations today, I think I should comment on something that I see brewing.  It seems that the centralized internet as we know it is now objectionable.  Google can get you anything you want, all you need to do is ask.  YouTube can show you anything you want, just search (Oh, and if you didn’t know, YouTube is controlled by Google).  There is a massive advantage to having everything centralize…it is fast and accessible.  Of course the downside is that it is essentially monopolized data.

Three separate people who don’t know each other brought this up with me today, in three separate contexts.  All three expressed a desire to decentralize is some capacity, whether it be media, search or something different.

Last.fm today announced its launch on the Android platform, offering an ‘on-the-go’ music application enabling users to access all the best of Last.fm from their mobile phones. Features include similar artists and genre-specific streaming radio stations, personalized streaming radio, up-to-date concert information and the ability to track users’ listening habits to their Last.fm profile. The launch of Last.fm on Android marks the latest step in Last.fm’s expansion into the mobile music space. The application is available for download through the Android Market.

Last.fm Now On Android

Using the Last.fm application, users can listen to streaming radio stations such as personal recommendations, similar artists, and genre-specific tracks. Users can also share tracks with their friends on Last.fm and stream other users’ stations. The new ‘Background Playback’ feature enables users to listen to Last.fm’s streaming music while accessing other programs, such as email, without interrupting the music experience.

Last.fm users can view an on-the-go version of their personal music profiles that includes mobile versions of Last.fm Charts page and Artist pages, with biographies, tags, similar artists and top listeners, all optimized for the Android platform. Users can access Last.fm’s Events listings to browse artists on tour, search for events, view Last.fm recommendations and view mapped directions to music venues.

“We are thrilled to bring Last.fm even further into the mobile music space with the launch of this app. The Last.fm service on Android enables our listeners to use virtually every Last.fm feature on their mobiles,” said Martin Stiksel, Last.fm Co-Founder. “It truly is a ‘to-go’ version of the site. Last.fm on Android takes the mobile music experience to the next level.”

Last.fm on Android follows Last.fm’s successful launch on the iPhone and iPod Touch last year, as well as integrations with Vodafone, T-Mobile, and the Three/INQ1 Social Mobile in Europe. You can find more information on the app at Last.fm.

Transfer Feedburner to Google

After countless months of watching the slow death of Feedburner, it has finally been announced that it will no longer be an active service after February 28, 2009.  If you use Feedburner to manage RSS and email subscriptions you should log into your account and click on the tiny little link at the top of the page that tells you to transfer to Google now. I did it in just a few simple clicks (it’s helpful to be signed into Google when you initiate the transfer, saves a couple of clicks) and after several minutes everything was finished.

Their FAQ page on Google answers should address any questions you have, like if you will lose any subscribers in the process of the transfer (Google assures us that the answer is no) and changes in the Feedburner API.

I’m glad for the change, I think the service has been lacking for some time.  A quick scan of Twitter of Technorati at any given moment will reveal plenty of complaints like “Feedburner says I just lost over 300 subscribers overnight” and the like.  Let’s hope that Google can stabalize the service on their platform and give us accurate reports.

Google is introducing an interesting new feature to their Gmail…math.

Apparently the working class digerati are notorious enough for sending late night emails while tipsy (especially the Brits) that Google felt it worthy to add some complexity to the process of sending email.  So now (during certain hours…late night and weekends…) you will be required to solve a few moderately complex math problems before the mail will send.

Wow.  I’m not even sure what to say about that.  You can read more info on TechCrunch.