The news, announced by PayPal President Scott Thompson, also comes with a bold prediction: that by 2015, the wallet will become a thing of the past."
Source: Mashable, 29th June 2011
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Paypal has over 100m active accounts
"PayPal has just hit a new milestone: the payments platform has more than 100 million active accounts.
The news, announced by PayPal President Scott Thompson, also comes with a bold prediction: that by 2015, the wallet will become a thing of the past."
The news, announced by PayPal President Scott Thompson, also comes with a bold prediction: that by 2015, the wallet will become a thing of the past."
News Corp sold MySpace for over $500m less than the purchase price
"MySpace, the long-suffering Web site that the News Corporation bought six years ago for $580 million, was sold Wednesday to the advertising network Specific Media for roughly $35 million.
The News Corporation, which is controlled by Rupert Murdoch, had been trying since last winter to rid itself of the unprofitable unit, which was a casualty of changing tastes and may be a cautionary tale for social companies like Zynga and LinkedIn that are currently enjoying sky-high valuations.
Relief over the sale was palpable on Wednesday, and not just at the News Corporation. Wall Street “just wanted it done, because it’s been a real drag on growth,” said Michael Nathanson, a media sector analyst for Nomura Securities.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the News Corporation said that it would retain a minority stake. Specific Media said it had brought on board the artist Justin Timberlake as a part owner and an active player in MySpace’s future, but said little else about how the site would change.
The sale closes a complex chapter in the history of the Internet and of the News Corporation, which was widely envied by other media companies when it acquired MySpace in 2005. At that time, MySpace was the world’s fastest-growing social network, with 20 million unique visitors each month in the United States. That figure soon soared to 70 million, but the network could not keep pace with Facebook, which overtook MySpace two years ago.
As users fled MySpace, so, too, did advertisers. The market research firm eMarketer estimates that the site will earn about $183 million in worldwide ad revenue this year, down from $605 million at its peak, when the site introduced many Web users and many advertisers to the concept of social networking."
The News Corporation, which is controlled by Rupert Murdoch, had been trying since last winter to rid itself of the unprofitable unit, which was a casualty of changing tastes and may be a cautionary tale for social companies like Zynga and LinkedIn that are currently enjoying sky-high valuations.
Relief over the sale was palpable on Wednesday, and not just at the News Corporation. Wall Street “just wanted it done, because it’s been a real drag on growth,” said Michael Nathanson, a media sector analyst for Nomura Securities.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the News Corporation said that it would retain a minority stake. Specific Media said it had brought on board the artist Justin Timberlake as a part owner and an active player in MySpace’s future, but said little else about how the site would change.
The sale closes a complex chapter in the history of the Internet and of the News Corporation, which was widely envied by other media companies when it acquired MySpace in 2005. At that time, MySpace was the world’s fastest-growing social network, with 20 million unique visitors each month in the United States. That figure soon soared to 70 million, but the network could not keep pace with Facebook, which overtook MySpace two years ago.
As users fled MySpace, so, too, did advertisers. The market research firm eMarketer estimates that the site will earn about $183 million in worldwide ad revenue this year, down from $605 million at its peak, when the site introduced many Web users and many advertisers to the concept of social networking."
Source: New York Times, 29th June 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Google is activating more than 500,000 Android devices a day
"Google Android chief Andy Rubin said on Tuesday that more than 500,000 Android devices are activated each day worldwide.
At Google I/O 2011, the web giant announced its Android roadmap and tools for integrating with devices and the home
Week on week, that is a growth rate of 4.4 percent, Rubin said in a post to Twitter. In May, Google announced a 400,000-devices-per-day figure, up from 300,000 per day in December.
That growth in part is due to Android handsets being widely available and inexpensive to implement, as well as offering the basic smartphone experience of touchscreen, fast processor and multimedia features. Also in May, Android's worldwide market share reached 36 percent."
At Google I/O 2011, the web giant announced its Android roadmap and tools for integrating with devices and the home
Week on week, that is a growth rate of 4.4 percent, Rubin said in a post to Twitter. In May, Google announced a 400,000-devices-per-day figure, up from 300,000 per day in December.
That growth in part is due to Android handsets being widely available and inexpensive to implement, as well as offering the basic smartphone experience of touchscreen, fast processor and multimedia features. Also in May, Android's worldwide market share reached 36 percent."
Source: ZDNet, 29th June 2011
The top 10 handsets for mobile web browsing in India
"Top handsets for May 2011 (since May 2010)
Nokia 2690 (10)
Nokia 5130 XpressMusic (1)
Nokia 2700c (2)
Nokia X2 (new)
Nokia 2730c (6)
Nokia C1 (new)
Nokia 3110c (3)
Nokia 5233 (new)
Nokia 7210 Supernova (7)
Nokia 6300 (5)"
Source: Opera's State of the Mobile Web, May 2011, published 29th June 2011
Note - data relates to the top handsets by usage for those using Opera's mobile browser
Nokia 2690 (10)
Nokia 5130 XpressMusic (1)
Nokia 2700c (2)
Nokia X2 (new)
Nokia 2730c (6)
Nokia C1 (new)
Nokia 3110c (3)
Nokia 5233 (new)
Nokia 7210 Supernova (7)
Nokia 6300 (5)"
Source: Opera's State of the Mobile Web, May 2011, published 29th June 2011
Note - data relates to the top handsets by usage for those using Opera's mobile browser
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
A Portrait of an American Tablet User
"Key findings from “A Portrait of Today’s Tablet User” include:
Today’s tablet users represent 12% of the US internet population ages 8 - 64; that number is projected to grow to 23% by early 2012—a group that represents an estimated 54 million people
87% of tablet users are accessing content and information, the dominant activity for this device
93% of tablet users have downloaded apps; the average tablet user has downloaded 20 apps
79% of app downloaders have paid for apps in the last 12 months; 26% of all apps downloaded are paid
On average, those who have downloaded apps on tablets have spent $53 on apps in the past 12 months
In addition to iTunes, Amazon and Google, 29% of tablet users would prefer to buy apps from their cable company or internet provider and 25% would prefer to buy their apps directly from publishers"
Today’s tablet users represent 12% of the US internet population ages 8 - 64; that number is projected to grow to 23% by early 2012—a group that represents an estimated 54 million people
87% of tablet users are accessing content and information, the dominant activity for this device
93% of tablet users have downloaded apps; the average tablet user has downloaded 20 apps
79% of app downloaders have paid for apps in the last 12 months; 26% of all apps downloaded are paid
On average, those who have downloaded apps on tablets have spent $53 on apps in the past 12 months
In addition to iTunes, Amazon and Google, 29% of tablet users would prefer to buy apps from their cable company or internet provider and 25% would prefer to buy their apps directly from publishers"
Source: Press release from the OPA, 22nd June 2011
Methodology - "The OPA collaborated with Frank N. Magid Associates., Inc. to conduct this study. Magid fielded a nationally representative online survey of 2,482 people, ages 8 to 64 years old, to evaluate the attitudes and behaviors of tablet owners and users between April 15 and April 20, 2011. The study found that 12% of today’s US online population (ages 8 to 64) currently owns or uses a tablet device and an incremental 11% intend to purchase a tablet device in the next 12 months."
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Paypal is processing up to $10m in mobile payments each day
"It’s no secret that everyone’s talking about mobile payments. We’ve written about it plenty here at PayPal, and it’s a story playing out in the press almost daily. We recently saw coverage of new data from analyst firm Forrester Research predicting that mobile commerce will hit $6 billion in 2011 – and reach up to $31 billion by 2016.
Today the Wall Street Journal reported on some updated numbers from PayPal as well – we’ve just raised our 2011 Mobile Total Payments Volume (TPV) projections to $3 billion. Mobile payments are growing at a rate we never could have imagined when we started processing them back in 2006 – in fact, this is the third time we’ve had to update our mobile 2011 projections. We first predicted $1.5 billion in 2011 mobile payments volume. At our analyst day in February, we upped that to $2 billion and just a few months later, we have now added another billion to that number.
We’re thrilled by this news, and by other numbers we’ve seen climb in the past few months. We’re now seeing up to $10 million in mobile TPV a day – a big increase from the $6 million we reported in March. And we currently have eight million customers who are regularly making purchases on their mobile phones, up from a previously reported six million users."
Today the Wall Street Journal reported on some updated numbers from PayPal as well – we’ve just raised our 2011 Mobile Total Payments Volume (TPV) projections to $3 billion. Mobile payments are growing at a rate we never could have imagined when we started processing them back in 2006 – in fact, this is the third time we’ve had to update our mobile 2011 projections. We first predicted $1.5 billion in 2011 mobile payments volume. At our analyst day in February, we upped that to $2 billion and just a few months later, we have now added another billion to that number.
We’re thrilled by this news, and by other numbers we’ve seen climb in the past few months. We’re now seeing up to $10 million in mobile TPV a day – a big increase from the $6 million we reported in March. And we currently have eight million customers who are regularly making purchases on their mobile phones, up from a previously reported six million users."
Source: Blog post by Paypal, 23rd June 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
The best times of day to use social media for marketing
Click to enlarge
Source: Kissmetrics, using data from Dan Zarella, 16th June 2011
Note - the graphic is easier to read on the Kissmetrics site
The average smartphone user spends 9% more time using mobile apps than the internet
Click to enlarge
"Our analysis shows that, for the first time ever, daily time spent in mobile apps surpasses desktop and mobile web consumption. This stat is even more remarkable if you consider that it took less than three years for native mobile apps to achieve this level of usage, driven primarily by the popularity of iOS and Android platforms. Let’s take a look at the numbers.
[...]
Flurry found that the average user now spends 9% more time using mobile apps than the Internet. This was not the case just 12 months ago. Last year, the average user spent just under 43 minutes a day using mobile applications versus an average 64 minutes using the Internet. Growing at 91% over the last year, users now spend over 81 minutes on mobile applications per day. This growth has come primarily from more sessions per user, per day rather than a large growth in average session lengths. Time spent on the Internet has grown at a much slower rate, 16% over the last year, with users now spending 74 minutes on the Internet a day."
Source: Blog post from Flurry, 20th June 2011
Note on methodology:
"In this report, Flurry compares how daily interactive consumption has changed over the last 12 months between the web (both desktop and mobile web) and mobile native apps. For Internet consumption, we built a model using publicly available data from comScore and Alexa. For mobile application usage, we used Flurry Analytics data, now exceeding 500 million aggregated, anonymous use sessions per day across more than 85,000 applications. We estimate this accounts for approximately one third of all mobile application activity, which we scaled-up accordingly for this analysis.
[...]
The preceding chart compares the average number of minutes consumers spend per day in mobile native apps vs. the web. For mobile apps, Flurry tracks iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Phone and J2ME. And for the web, our figures include the open web, Facebook and the mobile web. "
Thursday, June 23, 2011
In the retail sector, one extra Facebook fan aquired will drive an additional 20 visits to the main site over the course of the year
"We’ve been talking at Hitwise for a very long time about the benefits of social media and how Facebook in particular is becoming critical to the success of multi-channel marketing. We are constantly asked: “What’s the ROI with advertising on Facebook?”and until now that has always been a difficult question to qualify precisely. Leveraging our unique data sets we now have an answer: for retailers, each new fan acquired on Facebook is worth 20 additional visits to your website over the course of a year.
[...]
Our data shows that for the top retailers, even if they have no Facebook fans they can still expect to receive on average 62,000 visits from Facebook each month. However, by utilising this new service, brands can more rapidly build a fan base within Facebook and therefore drive more traffic to their website. Within retail each new fan acquired will drive an additional 20 visits to a retailer’s websites, which in turn will generate extra sales both online and offline."
Source: Data from Hitwise and Techlightenment, reported in Robin Goad's Hitwise blog, 23rd June 2011
[...]
Our data shows that for the top retailers, even if they have no Facebook fans they can still expect to receive on average 62,000 visits from Facebook each month. However, by utilising this new service, brands can more rapidly build a fan base within Facebook and therefore drive more traffic to their website. Within retail each new fan acquired will drive an additional 20 visits to a retailer’s websites, which in turn will generate extra sales both online and offline."
Source: Data from Hitwise and Techlightenment, reported in Robin Goad's Hitwise blog, 23rd June 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
5.4% of paid search impressions in the US come from mobile devices
"It is clear that mobile is not just a growing market, it is a market to really dive into. Mobile is interesting for both search engines and for advertisers. Research performed (in the US!) by Efficient Frontier shows us that the number of mobile searches and mobile paid ads is growing rapidly. But CTR and ROI still stays behind.
Efficient Frontier tells us that already 10-15% of traffic on average comes from mobile devices. And that’s an average, if you look at specific markets these numbers can sometimes even double. The research also shows that 5.4% of all paid search impressions currently come from mobile devices, which is a huge growth compared to last year. This means that by the end of 2011 Efficient Frontier believes that “somewhere between 7.0%-9.5% of search advertising dollars could be spent on mobile devices”."
Efficient Frontier tells us that already 10-15% of traffic on average comes from mobile devices. And that’s an average, if you look at specific markets these numbers can sometimes even double. The research also shows that 5.4% of all paid search impressions currently come from mobile devices, which is a huge growth compared to last year. This means that by the end of 2011 Efficient Frontier believes that “somewhere between 7.0%-9.5% of search advertising dollars could be spent on mobile devices”."
Source: Research performed by Efficient Frontier, reported in State of Search, 10th March 2011
Google own 3 of the 5 most-accessed mobile apps in the UK
"In April 2011, 40 per cent of the 21.8 million UK mobile internet users accessed a connected application*. Google Maps ranked as the top mobile app with 6.4 million users, reaching 73.3 per cent of all UK app users. Yahoo’s Weather app ranked second with 3.6 million followed by Facebook’s app with 3.5 million unique visitors. Another two apps published by Google - Google Mobile and YouTube - rounded out the top five, highlighting Google’s strong position among UK mobile consumers."
Source: Data from the GSMA Mobile Media Metrics Report, reported in a press release from comScore, 22nd June 2011
Source: Data from the GSMA Mobile Media Metrics Report, reported in a press release from comScore, 22nd June 2011
The optimum number of times to post to Facebook is three per week
"One of the most common questions I hear about Facebook marketing, is: “How often should I post to my page?” And of course, I wasn’t happy that I didn’t have hard data to backup any answer I might give, so I did a little analysis.
Source: Dan Zarella in his blog, 13th January 2011
Note - see Dan's blog for a great chart visualising this.
Note - see Dan's blog for a great chart visualising this.
The iPhone 4 is now the most popular camera on Flickr
"The iPhone 4 has an excellent camera; I’ve been using it as my primary point-and-shoot for a year now. It looks like I’m not alone either as the iPhone 4 has just taken the top slot for cameras on Flickr. More people now shoot pictures with an iPhone 4 than the top DSLR’s from Canon or Nikon.
The new list of top cameras on Flickr is as follows:
iPhone 4
Nikon D90
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Canon EOS REBEL T1i"
Source: The Next Web, 21st June 2011
The new list of top cameras on Flickr is as follows:
iPhone 4
Nikon D90
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi
Canon EOS REBEL T1i"
Source: The Next Web, 21st June 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Ads in mobile apps have a higher level of recall than ads on the mobile web
"Kantar Media's Compete, today released research showing that smartphone users have better recall of in-app ads than ads they view while browsing the web using their mobile browser. The findings, part of Compete's Q1 2011 Smartphone Intelligence survey, show that 52 percent of all smartphone owners recall ads they encounter in mobile apps. That number drops to 40 percent when asked about ads encountered while surfing the mobile web. And the disparity is even greater among iPhone users, with 65 percent recalling in-app ads and only 33 percent recalling mobile browser ads.
Overall, considering both in-app and mobile browser ads, Android users have the highest mobile advertising recall, with 55 percent reporting they've seen some form of mobile advertising. For iPhone users, that number drops slightly to 51 percent. Only 22 percent of BlackBerry owners recall some form of mobile device advertising.
Recall of text messaging/SMS ads is lower still among smartphone users. Just over one quarter (27 percent) of iPhone and Android users recall receiving a text message/SMS ad.
In addition to trends in mobile advertising recall, Compete's research reports that the most downloaded app categories are games (55 percent), weather (44 percent), social networking (39 percent), entertainment (38 percent) and maps/navigation (36 percent). Notably, social networking apps, which were #5 in the Q1 2010 survey, have now climbed to #3."
Overall, considering both in-app and mobile browser ads, Android users have the highest mobile advertising recall, with 55 percent reporting they've seen some form of mobile advertising. For iPhone users, that number drops slightly to 51 percent. Only 22 percent of BlackBerry owners recall some form of mobile device advertising.
Recall of text messaging/SMS ads is lower still among smartphone users. Just over one quarter (27 percent) of iPhone and Android users recall receiving a text message/SMS ad.
In addition to trends in mobile advertising recall, Compete's research reports that the most downloaded app categories are games (55 percent), weather (44 percent), social networking (39 percent), entertainment (38 percent) and maps/navigation (36 percent). Notably, social networking apps, which were #5 in the Q1 2010 survey, have now climbed to #3."
Source: Press release from Compete, 16th June 2011
Note - while it doesn't explicitly say so, I believe the research was just conducted in the US
Foursquare has 10m members
More stats on an infographic (dread word!) here. However they're pretty short on meaningful stats, like the ones that Facebook provide. E.g. How many users are active per day? How many external apps use the API? How many checkins have been made? & so on.
Source: Foursquare, 20th June 2011
More background here
Source: Foursquare, 20th June 2011
More background here
Monday, June 20, 2011
Free Download Ubuntu 11.04 - Officially Released
If you are Ubuntu Geek than this news is for you, Ubuntu has released the new version of Ubuntu 11.04. You can download it from the previously linked site free of charge. Among the various new features, the Unity interface is set as the default UI, and includes the launcher (an OS X like dock), Its most noticeable change is the application launcher on the left side of the screen. Similar to Windows 7 taskbar, it lets you drag and drop icons to and from it, as well as launch apps quickly and easily. According to the Ubuntu website, the OS can boot in as little as 7 seconds.
The Unity interface was originally conceived for smaller screens on netbooks, and offers easier file management, a new dashboard that gives you easier access to your applications and files, and Workspaces that simplify managing multiple windows. If you don’t like these new interface elements, you can always go back to Ubuntu’s Classic interface.
Driving all of this eye candy is Gnome 2.32.1 (according to Ubuntu Vibes). If your current equipment is not capable of Unity, the classic desktop experience will kick in as to keep you moving along with minimal lag. Those of you wanting to experiment with Gnome 3, it cannot be installed via the Ubuntu repositories, and there have been reports of system instabilities post installation, though there is a workaround. If you're ready to install, there are 3 options for download, one for a CD/USB stick type installation, another to create a second boot partition alongside windows, and another for a standard standalone installation. The downloads are a one size fits all affair no longer is the Ubuntu Netbook edition or Desktop edition; there's just a single download for all platforms.
The best part of characteristic of Ubuntu is that if you’d like to try it, you can download its 698MB image, burn that to a CD, and then run it from the CD without having to install it on your machine. It’s a great way to try out this Linux-based operating system that’s getting to be so refined, it’s almost as easy to use as a Mac or PC.
Find out the latest news and more about new Ubuntu 11.04 and you can Free Download Ubuntu 11.04 from here. Check out some latest images of Ubuntu 11.04.
Google Data Centers Security and Protection Video Revealed
Google has revealed a video about companies Security and Data Protection measures which has been taken from Google to protect their Data Centers from any damage or theft threats. Its a secret video which has been released from Google for customers to know how Google manage its enterprise customers from harm. The narrator points out, for example, that Google builds its own custom server technology and develops its own secure Linux OS to run its centers.
This seven-minute video emphasis on the security of data centers’ physical security and server reliability protocol. Google utilizes restricted barriers, security fencing, video cameras, security guards and biometric scanners to prevent unauthorized access. The video even features tools such as “the crusher” and “the shredder,” both of which are designed to completely destroy old hard drives so nobody can ever access customer data.
Watch this Video about Google's Security Measures in Google Data Centers.
Download Opera Mini 6 for iPhone and iPad - Free Version
The most popular Web Browser for Mobile Devices "Opera" has released its latest Opera version for Apple iPhone and iPad. Now iPhone and iPad users are also able to experience world’s fastest mobile browsing on their smartphones through Opera Mini 6.
Opera Mini 5 were also a huge hit when Opera made its way to the iPhone. Like other Opera Mini version of various smartphones, Opera Mini 6 for iOS not only allows users to access web pages more quickly over slower connections (thanks to data traffic compression), it also has a number of useful features not found in the native iOS browser, Safari. These features include better panning and zooming for viewing sites that don’t have a mobile style sheet, more adaptive rendering to take advantage of the iPhone 4 retina display, and an easy way to share links or pages via Facebook, Twitter or MyOpera.
For Apple iPad users, the browser has been formatted to fit the larger device. Opera Mini 6 has a nice new UI, some enhanced features and best of all, is free. For that reason, it’s worth a download for users looking for something new, especially if you often work in areas with slow data speeds.
You can Download Opera Mini 6 for iPhone and iPad here.
Windows 8 Design, Interface and UI Demo Video Revealed by Microsoft
No more wait for Microsoft Windows 8 first look, Microsoft has officially declared and revealed most awaited version of Windows after Windows 7 codename 'Windows 8'. The Microsoft official event were not streamed live, the video from Computex has now been posted up for everyone to view. The upcoming version of Windows 8 will look a lot like Windows Phone 7. But the familiar PC design is still there to support systems.
Microsoft revealed the design and UI Demo for Windows 8 at the All Things Digital Conference. Microsoft is now borrowing a page from Apple's iOS and Google's Android. Windows 8 takes the colorful tiles and finger-swipe gestures from the Windows Phone operating system and expands them to a larger screen in this demo, 10.6 inches diagonally.
The video goes into detail about Microsoft's next operating system. The video focuses on the tablet interface which shows Microsoft's strategy for combating iOS and Android in the tablet market. In the video, Microsoft Corporate Vice President, Mike Angiulo, takes the stage and shows off the platform in a 32 minute long presentation.
Windows 8 is still in development, so it's unclear how well the system will run on tablets. The demo was silky smooth, but the touchscreen Microsoft used was connected to a hidden desktop computer, rather than contained within the portable hardware.
Microsoft says Windows 8 will be able to run on processors designed by ARM Holdings, in addition to Intel chips. That's an important addition because ARM's technology is winning among most smartphone and tablet makers. ARM President Tudor Brown predicted on Monday that his chips will be used in at least half of all mobile devices sold, which includes laptops.
Watch the official Microsoft Windows 8 Demo Video:
WAT Remover for Windows 7: Activation Key Genuine
Now you don't have to crack your Windows 7 to make it Genuine. Many people are facing Windows Activation Technology (WAT) problem after installing Windows 7. Now you don’t have to worry about your 30 days trial period, we have a solution to make your Windows 7 Genuine in just a minute and Remove WAT notification.
You don’t have to search Genuine Key for your windows 7 because no serial keys will helps you to make your windows copy genuine accept the license serial keys. After lot of research through the web i have found WAT Remover Tool for Windows 7.
WAT stands for Windows Activation Technology and WAT Remover will remove the messages completely and make your windows 7 copy Genuine. This will work with 32 bit and 64 bit Windows 7 operating systems.
Download WAT Remover Tool for your Windows 7 Now and get rid of WAT notifications pop-up messages and bypass your activation and make your windows 7 copy totally Genuine and you can get all your Windows Update without any problem. You can also pass the genuine check in things like Windows Defender and IE and all others.
Installation Instruction:
- 1. Format your Windows Installation Completely
- 2. Install Fresh Windows 7 (Without Enter Keys)
- 3. Turn off Auto Update Permanently
- 4. Use RemoveWAT 2.2.5
- 5. Hurray! Your Windows is Genuine Now :)
Note: This WAT Remover Tool is only for Windows 7. This tool won't work in other version of Windows.
File Download Instruction: Click on download link as given above then click on Slow Download Button in that webpage for Free Download File.
Best Bluetooth Keyboard for iPhone, iPad and Mobile Phones
If you want to work faster in your iPhone, iPad and other Mobile Phones like you work on your Personal Computer, then you can use Bluetooth Keyboard for iPhone and iPad
. I have searched many bluetooth keyboards for Mobile Phones and Touchscreen Devices especially for iPhone and iPad, and finally got my hands into most promising and best Bluetooth Keyboard for Mobile Phones, which i am going to review today in my blog.
. I have searched many bluetooth keyboards for Mobile Phones and Touchscreen Devices especially for iPhone and iPad, and finally got my hands into most promising and best Bluetooth Keyboard for Mobile Phones, which i am going to review today in my blog.
Verbatim has made bluetooth keyboard specifically designed for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. Its Bluetooth capability also works with other mobile phones, but it really shines with Apple devices, with its full set of keyboard shortcuts that worked well with my iPhone. The keyboard’s typing action is like most laptop keyboards rather shallow, but still usable. Touch typists might not like the varied size of the keys, where, for example, the “G” key is slightly smaller, while on the other hand, the “V” key is larger. It’s also strange to have two small space bars, but I got used to it quickly. Still, you’ll have to make slight compromises for this portability.
Looking at the keyboard, it reminds me of the old favorite Palm 3245WW
folding Bluetooth keyboard that some people still like so much they’re willing to pay upwards of $200 for it. But this verbatim model goes one step further with a feature that differentiates it from all others: its transport controls let you tend to your music on iPod, iPad or iPhone.
folding Bluetooth keyboard that some people still like so much they’re willing to pay upwards of $200 for it. But this verbatim model goes one step further with a feature that differentiates it from all others: its transport controls let you tend to your music on iPod, iPad or iPhone.Take a look at the Verbatim's Bluetooth Keyboard in action in the following video:
You can Buy Verbatim's Bluetooth Keyboard from Verbatim website for $104 price, For that price, it’s not worth it, but then I was relieved to find it for $53 on Amazon. For that, it’s a good deal, deserving of a place in your carry-on bag. So what are you waiting for Go and Buy one for your iPhone, iPad and other touchscreen devices.
. For that, it’s a good deal, deserving of a place in your carry-on bag. So what are you waiting for Go and Buy one for your iPhone, iPad and other touchscreen devices.Click and Grab It!
Google Translate App for iPhone With Voice Feature
Google has now officialy released the Google Translate App for iPhone, this application is providing a feature with a text to translated text, and voice to text translations.
The new application allows for 15 supporters languages to be translated from voice to text. The application works by setting you spoken or written language at the top, and the translated to language next to it. To activate the translation, click on the microphone button beside the text box, and begin speaking.
The voice-to-text translations works for 15 supported languages, including English, French, Chinese, Japanese, Italian and many more. The text-to-text translation comes with over 50 supported languages, allowing you to translate just about any language in the world to your native language.
The application even comes with two handy features, such as full-screen mode, allowing you to magnify your translation to show off to your friends. The second neat feature, is the playback voice button. This feature allows you to play the translation back in any of the 15 supported voice languages.
Download Google Translate App for iPhone free from Apple App Store.
HTC Sensation 4G Smartphone Reviews and Specification
HTC has introduced its brand new smartphone focusing more on entertainment called "HTC Sensation 4G" also known as "HTC Sense" HTC calling it a "multimedia superphone". HTC Sense 4G having Google's Android operating system and will be exclusively available on T-Mobile in the United States. It will be released sometime this summer, according to the press release from HTC.
The HTC Sensation 4G includes the HTC Watch video feature, an app that provides access to a library of recent movies and television shows. The app's technology lets users begin watching a video without having to wait for the entire file to download, according to HTC. This video feature also lets users buy or rent videos and play them across multiple HTC devices.
The HTC Sensation which had been widely referred to as the HTC Pyramid while it was in development also features HTC's Sense system which, among other things, lets users program their "lock" screen to show social media updates, photos, weather and other media.
According to the HTC CEO Peter Chou;
"Consumers have quickly transformed smartphones into consumer lifestyle hubs that are pocket-sized entertainment centers that enable people to take their favorite multimedia content with them wherever they go"
HTC Sense System is already available on the HTC Legend and HTC Inspire phones, but the version on the Sensation is updated with new features.
HTC Sensation 4G has a 4.3-inch widescreen display, an 8-megapixel camera and a dual-core processor. Prices have not been announced yet.
HTC Sensation 4G Reviews:
HTC Sensation 4G have got the positive review from most website critics like PC World which got a hands-on demo, called it a "beautiful, dual-core beast" and CNET's Bonnie Cha writes that, by the end of a demo, she was "trying to think of ways to distract HTC so I could run off with the smartphone."
World's First Solar Energy Laptop Concept - Sun Powered Backup
The computing technology is really helping humans to make their work easier, more efficient and consume less time with more output. After the revolution of desktop computers and modern technology of laptops, now we have a concept of Worlds First Solar Energy Laptop. Now you won't have to worry about your laptops battery backup, what if your laptop battery charged with solely by the sun?
While there are plenty of solar-powered peripherals that plug into your laptop to boost its battery power, we haven’t yet seen a model that runs solely on solar. Industrial Designer Andrea Ponti's concept for the Luce Solar Panel Powered PC could become the greenest laptop ever made.
The computer has two solar panels: One on the back of the monitor and one underneath a touch keyboard. Ideally, the two panels would be able to power the computer continuously, though it’s unclear whether this has been successfully tested. Using a laptop in the sun is far more battery intensive than indoors since the screen brightness needs to be cranked up to compete with the sun’s bright light.
There are obviously some issues though, what if it's a rainy day and dark indoors? Rather than using traditional methods such as an LCD screen, there are other possibilities which might enable usage. eBook readers have often in the past used digital ink but the main issue with this is the lack of color and sometimes, response. One has to credit Mr Ponti though for the general design of the laptop, the use of the clear material is a rare sight to see in the consumer market.
Whether this laptop ever reaches the consumer shelves is unclear, but the news over at TechCrunch suggests we may be seeing more of solar energy harnessing in the future. Apple have recently filed a patent design for a laptop which uses external light to brighten the screen, with talk of solar energy to charge the battery being used as well.
Apple iOS 5.0 and iCloud Details and Features Information
Apple has finally announced its upcoming iOS 5.0 firmware version for Mac and iDevices at annual WWDC event. Steve Jobs holds the mike to announce the new flagship of software suites for Mac and iDevices, Apple announced that to date, they have had more than 14 billion downloads, with over 90,000 iPad apps. They have paid developers more than $2.5 billion dollars so far.
Apple started off the new feature list with notifications. Apple has removed the old notification popup system for a more inline notification system, making it less annoying when you're watching a video or playing a game. The 'notification center' will act similar to Android, where your menu swipes down, revealing alerts for all of your phone, messages, emails and more. The notification center is even on your lock screen too.
The lock screen has received a major update, allowing for notifications from apps, messages, and even listening to voice mail without having to slide to unlock the phone.
iOS 5.0 also comes with 'Newsstand', a new subscription-based application that has a ton of newspaper and magazine companies on board, including New York Times, SF Chronicle, Daily Telegraph, and more.
iOS 5 Twitter support
Much rumored beforehand, Apple has introduced Twitter natively into iOS 5, with a 'one click' option for applications to let you use Twitter functionality.
Much rumored beforehand, Apple has introduced Twitter natively into iOS 5, with a 'one click' option for applications to let you use Twitter functionality.
All you'll need to do is sign in through the Settings menu and any app can request integration with your Twitter account, meaning no more constant signing in to every new application you download. It's also fully integrated with the Camera and Photo apps, for example.
You can also tweet articles from Safari and locations from Maps.
iOS 5 Safari
A new reading mode has been introduced in Safari, which removes distraction and provides you with a single, scrolling story. Bye bye, ads! You can now also email the contents of the story as well as the link. There's also a Reading List option so you can save stuff to look at later. We bet Read It Later and Instapaper are well chuffed about that. There's also tabbed browsing and lightning-fast window switching.
iOS 5 Reminders
A reminders feature enables you to store Lists, assign reminders to any dates or even location-specific info. These sync across devices and with iCal.
iOS 5 Camera
There's now a camera button on the lock screen, while you can also use the volume button to take pictures - a great addition. Apple says its camera is one of the most commonly used pieces of hardware on photo-sharing sites like Flickr, and has updated the functionality accordingly.
Photo editing software for easy cropping and enhancement has been added in to iOS 5, and pinching to zoom will zoom in on images when you're trying to take a pic.
iOS 5 Mail
The app now has new elements like draggable addresses so you can pop them across from To to Cc or Bcc.
Flagging and full-searchable messages have been added in too, plus rich text formatting for easier interaction with your e-mails.
A built in dictionary makes it easier to keep your spelling under control, and for the iPad: a split keyboard.
Simply grabbing it with your thumbs and sliding upwards will split it in two, making it easier to tap out emails more speedily.
iOS 5 Game Center
Game Center now lets you browse and download games directly, as well as introducing Achievementpoints, There's also Friend Discovery. Gamer profiles have been updated to include photos as well, plus turn-based gaming is baked right into the application for more responsive gaming.
Last up, Apple introduced iMessage. The new instant messaging service allows any iDevice (iPhone, iPod touch and iPad) to communicate with each other. The new application is very similar to the SMS application, but is completely free. Similar to BBM (BlackBerry Messenger), the application allows you and your friends to instant message one another, from anywhere in the world, without the added roaming charges. iMessage requires WiFi or 3G to send and receive.
iOS 5.0 beta will be made available for the following iDevices:
- iPhone 4 (GSM and CDMA)
- iPhone 3GS
- iPod touch (4th generation)
- iPod touch (3rd generation)
- iPad 2 (GSM, CDMA and WiFi)
- iPad (GSM and WiFi)
- Apple TV 2G
iOS 5.0 will ship this fall to consumers.
How to: Upgrade to Apple iOS 5 Firmware - Tutorial
If you want to upgrade to a new Apple iOS 5 firmware version and if you don't know how to upgrade to a new Apple iOS 5.0 firmware version, than this tutorial will helps you to upgrade to a new Apple i OS 5.0 firmware without being a professional developer. This method was created by Apple lover Mert Erdir. It takes advantage of a backdoor exploit in the activation screen, which is tied to the VoiceOver system used by Apple. It was reported on at Gizmodo, if you want to see the article.
Warning: This is not to be attempted if you do not wish to block carrier access. TechGlobeX is not responsible for any damage that may occur, even loss of data that may occur. Remember; proceed at your own risk!
Steps to Upgrade to a new Apple iOS 5 firmware:
- Download the iOS 5 IPSW firmware file (Google is your friend) to your PC.
- Update via iTunes. Click using the Option key or Shift key while clicking Update. Select the file you downloaded.
- Once it upgrades, a new activation screen will appear.
- Triple click the home button. This activates the VoiceOver.
- Triple click the home button. Emergency Call will appear.
- Click on emergency call, and while it is switching, swipe with three fingers down.
- Notification Center will appear.
- Click on the Weather Widget and it will load.
- Click on the home button. The iOS device will exit the springboard.
Hurray! Your iOS device is now fully activated and operational. Good luck on playing with the new iOS 5.
Smartphone penetration in the US by ethnicity
Click to enlarge
Source: The Cross-Platform Report, Nielsen, June 2011 (pdf)
More information, and methodology here
Time spent with TV, internet and streaming video in the US, by age
Click to enlarge
Source: The Cross-Platform Report, Nielsen, June 2011 (pdf)
More information, and methodology here
Data usage by US smartphone users has risen by 89% Y-o-Y
"The mobile Data Tsunami initially described here is still growing at an astounding pace. According to Nielsen’s monthly analysis of cellphone bills for 65,000+ lines, smartphone owners – especially those with iPhones and Android devices — are consuming more data than ever before on a per-user basis. This has huge implications for carriers since the proportion of smartphone owners is also increasing dramatically. (Currently, 37% of all mobile subscribers in the United States have smartphones.)
In just the last 12 months, the amount of data the average smartphone user consumes per month has grown by 89 percent from 230 Megabytes (MB) in Q1 2010 to 435 MB in Q1 2011. A look at the distribution of data consumption is even more shocking: data usage for the top 10 percent of smartphone users (90th percentile) is up 109 percent while the top 1 percent (99th percentile) has grown their usage by an astonishing 155 percent from 1.8GB in Q1 2010 to over 4.6GB in Q1 2011."
In just the last 12 months, the amount of data the average smartphone user consumes per month has grown by 89 percent from 230 Megabytes (MB) in Q1 2010 to 435 MB in Q1 2011. A look at the distribution of data consumption is even more shocking: data usage for the top 10 percent of smartphone users (90th percentile) is up 109 percent while the top 1 percent (99th percentile) has grown their usage by an astonishing 155 percent from 1.8GB in Q1 2010 to over 4.6GB in Q1 2011."
Source: Nielsen Wire, 17th June 2011
There are more than 20m Tumblr blogs
"According to their respective websites, 4-year-old microblogging platform Tumblr now hosts more blogs than 8-year-old WordPress.com.
In January, Tumblr had more than 7 million individual blogs. At the time of this writing, the total blog ticker on its site read about three times that at 20,873,182 — beating out WordPress.com’s current count by about 85,000 blogs."
In January, Tumblr had more than 7 million individual blogs. At the time of this writing, the total blog ticker on its site read about three times that at 20,873,182 — beating out WordPress.com’s current count by about 85,000 blogs."
Source: Mashable, 15th June 2011
Instagram has 1.25m users per employee
"Yes, Instagram now has five million users. That’s 625,000 users for every month they’ve been in existence — with the growth accelerating. Just this past weekend they added 100,000 new users, for example. Even more amazing, there are now 1.25 million users for every one employee of Instagram.
I got a chance to catch up with Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom this morning to talk about the milestone and the bigger picture for the service. Beyond the five million user mark (which they actually hit yesterday), Instagram is about to hit another huge milestone: 100 million photos. They’re at 95 million right now, and they’re adding roughly 860,000 a day. In other words, by the end of this week, the total number of pictures should cross 100 million.
For comparisons sake, it took Flickr two years to hit 100 million photos. Again, Instagram, just eight months. If you still had any doubts that a mobile photo revolution is happening, there you go.
As for the burgeoning Instagram ecosystem, Systrom says that there are now 2,500 unique apps out there accessing their APIs. Remarkably, they are also seeing some 350,000 connections across their API, meaning that some of the apps connected are massively popular. Which are the most popular? Webstagram and Flipboard were the top two the last time he looked, Systrom says. There are also now applications pushing photos into Instagram — not through the API, but through more creative means."
Source: TechCrunch, 13th June 2011
I got a chance to catch up with Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom this morning to talk about the milestone and the bigger picture for the service. Beyond the five million user mark (which they actually hit yesterday), Instagram is about to hit another huge milestone: 100 million photos. They’re at 95 million right now, and they’re adding roughly 860,000 a day. In other words, by the end of this week, the total number of pictures should cross 100 million.
For comparisons sake, it took Flickr two years to hit 100 million photos. Again, Instagram, just eight months. If you still had any doubts that a mobile photo revolution is happening, there you go.
As for the burgeoning Instagram ecosystem, Systrom says that there are now 2,500 unique apps out there accessing their APIs. Remarkably, they are also seeing some 350,000 connections across their API, meaning that some of the apps connected are massively popular. Which are the most popular? Webstagram and Flipboard were the top two the last time he looked, Systrom says. There are also now applications pushing photos into Instagram — not through the API, but through more creative means."
Source: TechCrunch, 13th June 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Windows Phone to Overtake iPhone by 2015 - IDC Report
According to the latest IDC report regarding Worldwide Smartphone Operating System Market Share, IDC has declared that the Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 will overtake the market share of the Apple's iPhone by 2015. In fact under the figures, the iPhone market share would decrease with Android taking the lead with 43.8% in 2015. Google's Android will keep its top spot in 2015, grabbing almost 44 percent of the global market, while Apple's iOS will hug third place with a 16.9 percent share.
The researchers believes that by switching to Windows Phone as the core OS on its devices, Nokia will provide the kick that Microsoft needs, especially in global regions where Nokia has enjoyed robust demand. Microsoft's mobile OS will continue to hang onto a small chunk of the market until 2012 when IDC expects Windows Phone-equipped Nokia devices to start shipping in large numbers.
IOS's market share is expected to inch down from its current 18.2 percent, Apple will still see a dramatic increase in smartphone shipment growth through the end of 2015. In second place this year, Symbian will quickly lose market share as Nokia phases it out in favor of Windows Phone. By 2015, IDC sees Symbian's market share as virtually nil. The IDC Report also mentions the decrease of the iOS and BlackBerry slightly due to being squeezed, essentially, into a smaller area of the market. They place the reasoning for Android's growth on the popularity it has with phone manufacturers and vendors.
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Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Smartphone Review - Hardware & Software Details
Samsung is now become the most promising company in term of Smartphone's and Tablet computing development. Samsung has recently launched its new family member of its Samsung Galaxy Tab known as Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 device with lots of powerful feature’s. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, in its current form, was born out of a response to Apple's sleek and thin iPad tablet. The original Galaxy Tab 10.1, which hadn't reached market yet, just couldn't compete, so Samsung went back the drawing board and turned out this beauty of a tablet in record time. And this one can compete.
The original 7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab was the only major iPad competitor to be released in 2010, but it was hampered by the inclusion of Android 2.2 very much an OS designed for mobile phones rather than tablets. However with the release of the tablet-tastic Android 3.1 this year, the iPad 2 is about to come up against some serious competition.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 features a large, wide-screen display that looks sharp and bright, and it rests inside a body that is incredibly thin and light. This 10-inch tablet weighs less than a number of smaller tablets on the market, yet it still packs a dual-core 1GHz processor and the latest version of Android 3.1 Honeycomb.
There still aren't very many tablet-specific Android apps, and those that exist are not that easy to find in the Android Market, but the Galaxy Tab 10.1 is still a desirable piece of kit.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is the same as the device launched at Google I/O, but there's two key differences that we'll focus on here: the hardware and design, and the thoroughly different Software Version (v3.1 here versus v3.0 before).
Hardware and Design:
As is the case with all 10-inch tablets, Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a large device. Its face measures 256.6mm x 172.9mm (10.1in x 6.8in), but the entire tablet is only 8.6mm (.3in) thick. Pair that with a low 565g (19.9oz) weight and you have a device that is much easier to wield than one might expect.
On top of that, the Tab's build quality is really good. The glossy back, which is white and silver on our unit, feels good on the finger tips, and all of the parts fit tightly together. The Tab also feels very strong in spite of its low profile design. There are no buttons to be found on the front of the Galaxy Tab 10.1, only the 10.1-inch, 1280 x 800 pixel displays and the forward-facing 2 megapixel camera. When held horizontally, the volume and power controls are found on the left end of the top edge of the tablet, while the 3.5mm headphone jack is a bit over to the right. A stereo speaker port can be found on the left and right edges, one each, and the proprietary charging/data port can be found on the bottom edge.
The interior is home to an NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core 1GHz processor and 16GB (or 32GB) of internal storage. I was testing the Wi-Fi only model, but 3G-capable models are expected soon.
Software:
The primary differentiator between the Tab 10.1 LE and the far-less-limited Tab 10.1: 0.1. Android 3.1 brings along widgets that can be resized vertically and horizontally, access to the newfangled Movies section of the Android Market, improved overall performance and support for a host of USB accessories. Unfortunately, the Movies department is only open for Android 3.1 tablets with 3G radios, hence, our 16GB WiFi test unit still showed it as unavailable.
The performance improvements, however, are here. They're subtle, sure, but you won't find us kvetching about extra speed, regardless of how minor it is. Granted, we didn't have any real qualms with performance on the Tab 10.1 Limited Edition, but it's safe to say we've even fewer qualms here. Resizing widgets worked, and worked well, but it's mildly annoying that it only supports a smattering of 'em right now -- we're hoping to see more apps updated soon to take advantage, and when that happens, homepane tweakers will no doubt find these remarkably useful. It enables each pane to be full of useful, glanceable information, a sizable calendar prevents you from having to load the app each time.
We'd also like to point out a huge, huge issue with using the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in conjunction with OS X. For whatever reason, Android File Transfer still hasn't been updated to support this slate, which means that you cannot (easily) use your Mac to transfer files onto your device. We have to wonder what Google was thinking when it fundamentally changed how Macs could interface with Android; our Nexus One (Android 2.3) simply pops up as an external drive on the desktop of a MacBook Pro, while Honeycomb devices require a dedicated piece of software that may or may not work. Blech. We're hoping Google updates AFT in the hours ahead; otherwise, you can expect the forums to come alive as Mac owners struggle to make contact with the $500+ slate they just bit on.
10 Facts and Personal Details About Bill Gates - Success Story Revealed
As we know Microsoft's founder "Bill Gates" is one of the powerful personality of I.T. Industry today and most of the people wants to be like him. Many people know the Success Story of Bill Gates as Microsoft Chairman, but no one knows the actual facts about his personal and professional life. Microsoft's founder Bill Gates (the world's second-richest person) has revealed some personal details in interview with the Daily Mail which you have never heard before.
In interview with Daily Mail, Bill Gates has shared some of the secret which mostly people are not aware with. These facts are the true reason behind his success, So today in TechGlobeX we will tell you 10 Facts and Personal Details about Bill Gates which you should have to know and aware of.
10 Facts and Personal Details About Bill Gates, Success Story:
- His kids like to tease him by singing the song "Billionaire" by Travie McCoy and Bruno Mars.
- He's now given $28 billion to charity.
- His three children, currently aged 15, 12 and nine, will reportedly inherit $10 million each (although Gates wouldn't disclose that amount in the interview), a slender sliver of his $56 billion net worth, because Gates says, "I don't think that amount of money would be good for them."
- Did U2 star Bono invite Gates backstage when U2 was performing in Seattle? Not necessary, because Bono was staying at Bill's house that night.
- Now dedicating his career to his $37.1 billion charitable foundation, Gates says when asked if he'll return to Microsoft full-time: "No. I'm part-time involved. But this is my job now."
- Why try to cure malaria instead of cancer? Says Gates, "The world is putting massive amounts into cancer, so my wealth would have had a meaningless impact on that."
- He haggles for good prices on vaccines: "We are super-smart about what we pay. We get price reductions. We can track how many kids get the vaccines."
- People in Third World countries have no idea who he is. "They don't know who I am, because it doesn't relate to their world. I went to one place with the chief minister and someone said, 'Who is this guy?', and the chief minister said, 'This is a white-skinned guy I brought with me.'"
- He has a Twitter account, but had a problem with Facebook: "... Because the friend requests got out of hand."
- And the secret: Gates inadvertently revealed that his friend, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, is engaged to longtime girlfriend Priscilla Chan. During the interview, Gates was talking about Zuckerberg and referred to Chan as Mark's "fiancée Priscilla." Oops.
"Facebook's head of communications Elliot Schrage suggested that Bill Gates was mistaken. 'If [Mark is engaged, Bill Gates] knows something I don't know. Gates's communications guy just wrote to apologize for the misunderstanding.'"
Google Voice Search and Google Instant Images Feature Launched
Google has recently launched its new search feature for Google Chrome users called Google Voice Search. Android users are very well aware of voice to enable Google Search feature because its self includes in Android-based Smartphones. According to the Official Google Blog, the company has just today enabled searching using its web site via voice for PC users. This new feature which is exclusively available for Google's own Chrome Web Browser at the moment. Users will be able to see a microphone icon on the Google Search button. Chrome users can simply click on it and speak their search phrase or terms (assuming they have a microphone installed of course). At the moment only English is supported by the new Google Search PC voice feature.
In addition, Google have also introduced another smart feature that debuted on the Android has made its way to the PC desktop. It's the Search Images feature at images.google.com. By using this feature you can upload an image or even plug in an image URL and then the Search Images features will try to find out things like a location and more. The feature will be available in 40 languages and will be supported by both Chrome and Firefox web browsers via extensions.
Finally Google has announced a new way to speed up searches in general called Instant Images. According to the blog, "Instant Pages can get the top search result ready in the background while you’re choosing which link to click, saving you yet another two to five seconds on typical searches." It will be launched in the next beta version of the Chrome browser or you can try it out now by download the latest version that's made primarily for developers.
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