Google+Facebook+iPhone: 09/18/11

Sunday, 18 September 2011

Google+ is the best thing that ever happened to Facebook

Google+ launched on June 28, 2011. It got rave reviews. Many said it would kill Facebook overnight. I, along with many others, went out to buy some popcorn. This was going to be an epic battle, because like I’ve said many times, competition is a good thing.

For the last three months, Facebook has transformed like never before. Do I think most of these changes would have happened if Google+ never arrived on the scene? Sure. I also strongly believe Facebook would have taken much longer to roll out new products, kill existing features, and would have taken a lot fewer risks.

Instead, Google pushed Facebook to act quicker and more viciously than ever before. Sometimes, there were direct responses to whatever Google did. Other times, they were already in the pipeline but needed an extra swift kick in order to go live.

Since Google+ arrived, Facebook launched significant improvements to Facebook Chat: video calling powered by Skype, group chat, and an option to see the friends you message most. The company rolled out a major revamp to its privacy settings, affecting what you see on your profile as well as when you share content on the social network. It launched Subscriptions, letting you subscribe to Facebook users who you aren’t friends with and letting you offer your own public updates to Facebook users who aren’t your friends.

Facebook also killed a bunch of its own features. It axed the App Directory without much fanfare. Facebook Deals went the way of the dodo bird. Even Facebook Places no longer exists, although plenty of new location features were added to the service.

Facebook is putting Twitter in its place

The digital world is pretty efficient at arranging its pecking order. And right now, Facebook is the unquestioned king.

With nearly 900 million users worldwide, Facebook reaches more than half of the globe's Internet users. Collectively, they view more than 1 trillion pages a month. Yes, that's trillion with a "t."

Facebook excels at both personal and business applications. With it, you can talk to friends or advertise to customers. According to the web-metrics firm Experian Hitwise, Facebook "is becoming critical to the success of multi-channel marketing." A British Web analyst recently calculated that each Facebook friend is worth 20 visits a month to the average retailer's website.

Twitter, on the other hand, has always been the domain of a relatively small but intensely engaged group of users. It counts 160 million users worldwide, but studies have shown that half of all Twitter users have never "tweeted," and that 10 percent of Twitter users account for about 90 percent of the tweets.

But Twitter generally has been viewed as a great place to find links to interesting content. It's a place where smart, passionate users spread the word about great content they've discovered.

Now a study by Outbrain, a Web analysis company, shows that Facebook is ahead in that game, too.

According to Outbrain, people are five to 10 times as likely to follow content links from Facebook as they are to follow content links from Twitter. That doesn't surprise me. Given the amount of time people spend on Facebook, and the amount of material posted there, it stands to reason that a user is more likely to follow a link from Facebook to a news article or an entertainment blog than they are to find the same link on Twitter.

Facebook and Twitter Gain Share in Brazil as Country Moves Beyond orkut

Google's orkut social network has been popular in Brazil since it was launched in 2004. But now, the dominance of the site is being challenged, and more consumers are turning to Facebook and Twitter.

An April 2011 survey conducted by marketing and advertising agencyF/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi found that 21% of internet users in Brazil accessed Facebook in April 2011, up from 14% in November 2010. Additionally, 17% of internet users in Brazil accessed Twitter in April 2011, while the site didn’t even register in November 2010. Meanwhile, orkut visitors were down from 80% of internet users in November to 78% in April.

Later data, from IBOPE Nielsen Online, actually puts Facebook ahead of orkut in popularity. An August 2011 study found that Facebook had 30.9 million users in Brazil in August 2011, or 68.2% of internet users, while orkut had 29 million users, or 64% of internet users. Twitter came in with 14.2 million, or 31.3% of internet users in the country.

However, when it comes to how often web users in Brazil use these social sites, Twitter poses the bigger threat.

In early 2011, market intelligence company e.life surveyed internet users in Brazil and asked which three social network services they used the most. Twitter was mentioned by 74% of users, while Facebook was noted by 63%. Coming in fourth, below MSN, was orkut, with just 34.1% choosing it as their most-used site.

Read more at http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008595

Rumors run amok about Samsung Galaxy S III and Nexus Prime

Rumor mills are working overtime as Samsung Galaxy S III 'the superphone' is around the corner. Don't believe us; well that's exactly what market is abuzz with. According to Android Community, With supposed details about 'the superphone' already out -2.0 Ghz Quad-core processor (apparently created by the company itself) along with 1.5 GB RAM, 32 GB embedded memory with SD card slot of expansion, prospective buyers are certainly impressed.

In addition, the dream superphone will come with a 4.65-inch 1280 X 1024 resolution HD AMOLED III touchscreen. On top of that, a 10-mega pixel snapper too have been given. Sounds too good to be true, isn't it? However, this is the very reason why a large section of media and majority of experts are dismissing it as a 'baseless figment of imagination.' As far as OS is concerned, the phone is likely to wield Android 2.4 or 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in an all aluminium design.

Same is the case with Samsung Nexus Prime. The reports floating about this another super communication device are more or less the same. The device shares the striking similarity with Samsung Galaxy S III in specs. The only difference is the shape which too, is on the lines of SGS II however; the curved glass feeling will remind you of Nexus S.

Samsung files counter claim in Australia against Apple

The move comes after Samsung last month delayed the launch of its latest Galaxy tablet computer in Australia over a global patent dispute with Apple.

Samsung filed the claim with the Federal Court of Australia, New South Wales Registery, on September 16, a media statement released by Samsung Electronics Australia said.

The claim says Apple infringed seven Australian patents owned by Samsung related to wireless communications standards by Apple's iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and iPad 2 products.

It also says the patents that Apple relied on in its claims against Samsung in relation to the Galaxy Tab 10.1 were invalid and should be revoked by the court, according to the statement.

Samsung has previously counter sued Apple over patents in South Korea, Japan and Germany.

An Apple spokeswoman in Australia could not immediately be reached for comment.

Samsung and Apple have been locked in a battle over smartphones and tablets patents since April as Apple seeks to rein in the growth of Google's Android phones by taking direct aim at the biggest Android vendor, Samsung.

Google working on a social news magazine app

Google is working on a new social news magazine app which will be available on iPad and Android devices. The news has come from Robert Scoble, a digital expert and blogger, who posted it on Google+.

He says, "I heard from someone working with Google that Google is working on a Flipboard competitor for both Android and iPad. My source says that the versions he's seen so far are mind-blowing good. It sure sounds like Google is storing up quite a few social announcements. I wonder if they are waiting for Facebook to make its announcements next week and then will open the door to a raft of new things? I hope so."

There are no official comments from Google. The name of the app was disclosed by AllThingsD, it's called Propeller. The product seems to be competing with Flipboard, an application which is designed to gather information from different social networks and then present it in a magazine format on the iPad. Flipboard was named app of the year by Apple in 2010 and Time magazine placed it in the list of top 50 innovations.

The Google app is likely to use content feeds from different sources such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and RSS feeds from websites across the world. Propeller can also potentially be monetized since Flipboard recently started running paid advertisements.

Source: http://www.themobileindian.com/news/2973_Google-working-on-a-social-news-magazine-app

Google Rejects Access to AdWords API Developer Token

Last week, Google denied access to the AdWords API to hundreds of developers in order to “ensure quality, improve Google products and services and compliance with AdWords API Terms and Conditions,” according to the company. This upset many customers who complained because they got no warning and suffered damage to their businesses and clients.

Members of the AdWords API Forum showed their frustration in posting comments such as:

“I’ve been a API user since 2009 – and now have the same error everyone else
has been reporting. No notification. No explanation. Wouldn’t the decent
thing for Google to do is to inform paying (often for significant periods of
time) customers with at least an explanation? If they have tightened terms
and conditions – why can’t they work with us and inform us of what we need
to do to comply – simply rejecting a mass amount of API accounts without any
warning is very harsh.”

Others mentioned the cost:

“Many of us have of spent significant amounts of time developing apps and
businesses using the AdWords API. Many of us have customers. It’s just very
frustrating.”

This situation also affected TopTenWholesale and Manufacturer.com, prompting CEO Jason Prescott to write in email to Danny Sullivan:

“…the other day we get this random message from Google stating that our API had been disabled. It goes without saying, that this move is causing a boat load of frustration, time spent, money lost and unnecessary bleeding — all because google decided to arbitrarily flick another switch.”

Luckily, others were not affected. I asked my son, SEO Consultant Paul Bruemmer, about it, and he said. “Our clients were not affected; however, it’s a serious issue because Google is almost like a utility now. An API token for business software is similar to utility services. Without utilities you send people home and you’re out of business until it goes back on. We had a taste of that a couple weeks ago in San Diego, and it was no picnic. So I can imagine how all those developers felt since this was not an emergency but a simple change of policy.”

Read more at http://www.toptenwholesale.com/news/google-adwords-api-developer-token-5086.html

Google tops dream employer list again

Google has again topped a list of firms that Australians would most like to work for.

It's the second year in a row the search engine giant has crowned the nation's dream employer list.

Self-employment was second, followed by the Virgin Group, Qantas, Apple and Microsoft.
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Pay, benefits and conditions are the main reason workers become attracted to a company, according to findings from the Insync Surveys and RedBalloon 2011 Dream Employers Survey.

Google handed its employees a ten per cent raise in 2010 and its workers famously enjoy funky offices, massages and naps on company time.

''We have in place robust reward and recognition programs, (where we) reward employees via excellent benefits and unique perks, such as massages, sleep pods and fun off-site events,'' the company's Australian HR manager Joe Krayer said.

The police and defence forces were a surprise inclusion in this year's top 20 dream employers after neither featured in last year's list.

Recruits are attracted to the armed forces by pay, benefits, conditions and training, Insync Surveys CEO James Garriock said.

''As for the police, the sense of vocation is a much more common reason for joining the force,'' he added.

Police Association of NSW president Scott Weber said television shows such as CSI and Underbelly attract police recruits.

''Other reality shows like COPS and Recruits also show a glossy, edited version of life as a police officer,'' Mr Weber said.

''For working cops, however, the job is tough and dangerous, and significantly different to what you see on TV.''

He said the NSW government should take advantage of the interest by increasing the size of recruit courses.

The Department of Defence was unable to immediately comment about the findings.

Google also topped a list of dream employers in New Zealand, followed by self-employment, Air New Zealand, Apple and Kiwi Bank.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/google-tops-dream-employer-list-again-20110919-1khbo.html#ixzz1YNXQgxGu

Samsung Launches The Series 3 350U

There is good news here and naturally, as there is good, there must also be some bad mixed in there too. First up is always the good, this is the latest laptop from Samsung; it comes under the ultraportable heading so that means it is slim and light. However, unlike some ultraportable machines, Samsung have managed to fit in a handy hard disk drive for storage purposes, which takes some doing as the laptop is just 0.8 inches thick and that takes some doing.

Now the bad news as this a new laptop, details are little thin on the ground and from what we can make out from the translated pages on the Samsung website, this smart looking laptop is only going to be available in Korea, which is going to push the cost of delivery up some what!

Of course, there is a series 3 available in the US and other parts of the world, but not this colourful in fact its grey in colour, whereas the series 3 350u in Korea comes in a combination of pink, black and silver, the pink naturally is always a winner with the girls.

Read more at http://www.geekwithlaptop.com/samsung-launches-the-series-3-350u

Gundlach, Samsung, EBay, Apple, Google: Intellectual Property

Sept. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Jeffrey Gundlach, who was fired from TCW Group Inc. and started his own firm, won a $66.7 million jury award against his former employer for unpaid wages.

Gundlach, who has to share the money with three of his colleagues, was also found Sept. 16 to have breached his fiduciary duty to TCW and misappropriated its trade secrets. The Los Angeles jury awarded the company no damages on the breach claim. A judge will determine damages on the trade-secret claim.

Susan Estrich, a lawyer for TCW, said the company will ask the judge to award it $89 million on the trade-secret claim. The company also won a claim for intentional interference with contractual relations. The jury awarded no damages.

TCW, the Los Angeles-based unit of Societe Generale SA, sued Gundlach, 51, in January 2010, after more than half of its fixed-income professionals joined DoubleLine Capital LP, the asset-management firm Gundlach started within weeks after TCW fired him. TCW sought as much as $566 million in damages.

Brad Brian, a lawyer for DoubleLine, said it could be months before the judge rules on the “reasonable royalty” for TCW's trade-secret claim.

The jury found that Gundlach and DoubleLine didn't act willfully and maliciously in misappropriating trade secrets.

Michael Cahill, TCW's general counsel, said in an e-mailed statement that the verdict “speaks directly to the principles at the heart of this case -- integrity, honesty and trust. The jury found that each of the defendants violated these principles.”

Gundlach, who had worked at TCW for 25 years and was named Morningstar's Fixed Income Manager of the Year in 2006, countersued, saying TCW fired him to avoid having to pay management and performance fees for the distressed-asset funds his group managed and that went “through the roof.” Gundlach sought about $500 million.

The jury heard more than six weeks of testimony as the two sides provided conflicting views of Gundlach's falling out with TCW Chief Executive Officer Marc Stern in 2009, which ended with Stern's buying Metropolitan West Asset Management LLC to run TCW's fixed-income group and firing Gundlach in December 2009.

Stern testified that he became suspicious of Gundlach after a series of September 2009 meetings and instructed TCW's in- house lawyer to start monitoring the e-mail of Gundlach and others in his group. The investigation showed Gundlach's people were downloading TCW's proprietary information and looking for office space, Stern said.

Samsung Sues Apple In Australia, Claims iPhone and iPad Infringe On 7 Patents

All the patent lawsuits filed by and aimed at Appleare starting to get too large to count. Now,Samsung is adding to the list by filing a patent suit against Apple in Australia. In the suit, Samsungclaims that Apple is infringing on 7 of its patents with the iPhone and iPad.

If an Apple vs. Samsung suit in Australia sounds familiar, that’s because Apple has already filed a suit against Samsung in Australia against the Galaxy Tab and won.

Currently the Galaxy Tab is barred from being sold in Australia because the court found it infringes on several of Apple’s patents. If Samsung is able to win its suit against Apple it could in theory block the sale of the iPhone and the iPad in the country as well. The more likely scenario; however, is that Apple and Samsung come to some sort of agreement that allows both company’s devices to be sold and that the suit (if won) simply invalidates Apple’s patents that are currently blocking Galaxy Tab sales.

What do you think about the whole Samsung vs. Apple debacle? Who do you think will ultimately be victorious?

Say, AT&T, where's Samsung Galaxy S2?

Sprint launched its version, the Epic 4G, on September 16 and AT&T's Galaxy S II was supposed to be available today. Have you seen it? Where is it hiding? What is AT&T doing with it? And if iPhone 5's launch is so close, why wait even one more day?

These are the perplexing questions AT&T is unlikely to answer on a Sunday. So I called my local AT&T store, and a few others, to ask if they're selling the S2 as announced. Nope. One store rep checked AT&T's internal website, where the phone listed as "coming soon". That person expected but couldn't confirm price of "probably one-ninety-nine". Rep at a different store had been briefed on the S2 last week, but not given a selling price. The launch could come in a couple weeks, the rep said. Sprint's S2 is a sweet $199.99 with two-year contract -- and it's available now.

Well, hell, did all of tech news geekdom get the September 18 date wrong? It was widely reported, and I did so myself, based on info released by the carriers and Samsung 10 days ago. I was ready to buy the Galaxy S II today (I'm an AT&T subscriber). The S2 would replace my beloved Nexus S, and I wanted to review the hot smartphone, too.Since the S2 is such a direct competitor to iPhone 5, I would think that AT&T wouldn't want to jeopardize sales of one for the other. The web is wild with rumors about when iPhone 5 will launch, with October 15 a widely-circulated date. That's a Saturday, by the way, making it an unlikely launch date. Apple more typically launches iOS devices on Fridays. I wouldn't consider any date valid at this point. But I would suggest that unless AT&T isn't worried about pitting one phone against the other, the longer Galaxy S II takes to launch on the carrier the more likely iPhone 5 is coming later.

Trends on Twitter brief but telling, just like in the real world

Trends in the hyper-paced world of Twitter make the catwalks of Milan look positively passe. Most don't last half an hour.

But they do provide an insight into what the world is talking about and, for some, they're serious business - even if they only reflect the obsessions of a tapped-in slice of society and have been known to be manipulated in support of a dirty joke.

Twitter lists the 10 most-tweeted subjects on their website as ''Trending Topics''. For marketers, that's prime real estate. If you can get your topic '''to trend'', for a short time you'll cut through the cacophony of tweets and put your message in front of 100 million active Twitter users - 5 per cent of the online population, but some of the most connected.

For everyone else, it's a fascinating display of human nature, the warts-and-all reality of what catches people's attention - but something that probably shouldn't be taken too seriously.

Twitter trending isn't just about popularity, otherwise everyday subjects such as the weather and late-running CityRail trains would trend forever. Instead, it's about topics that become suddenly popular. The faster more people tweet about something, the more it trends.

You can blame Justin Bieber for that. During the first half of last year about 3 per cent of all tweets were Bieber fans talking about their idol. To avert a permanent Biebertrend, Twitter switched the focus to traffic ''spikes''.

Twitter's latest departure reveals a leaky ship

It was a bit of a corporate shake-up week for Twitter.

On Friday, Twitter's Chief Scientist Abdur Chowdhury left the company, confirming as much via his own Twitter account. Chowdhury Tweeted on Friday, "So Long and THanks for All the Fish. Twitter was an amazing experience & even greater set of people." The initial sentence of this statement is a reference to the popular science-fiction novel The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, spoken by hyper-intelligent dolphins on their flight from the end of the world.

Chowdhury's departure comes on the same day Twitter announced that Bijan Sabet, a partner at Spark Capital, and Fred Wilson, of Union Square Ventures, would be leaving Twitter’s board of directors. Both Sabet and Wilson were early investors in Twitter.

While Chowdhury has given no indication as to the reason for his departure, one can speculate that perhaps it has to do with the corporate twists and turns reshaping the company, as well as the new massive round of funding.

In August, Twitter announced that it raised a significant round of financing. The announcement was referring to the many reports of an $800 million in new financing, of which half would be used to cash out early investors. About half the funds were invested by Yuri Milner and Russia's Direct Sky Technologies, putting Twitter's estimated worth at $8 billion.

The financing and departures also comes as Twitter hints at launching a new advertising platform in conjunction with the recently-acquired AdGrok. Twitter's partnership with AdGrok may indicate a move into self-formulated performance data, as opposed to tapping the research of third parties.

Twitter could not be reached for immediate comment.

Twitter scapegoat Subban understands power of social media

MONTREAL — There will be no changes for the Montreal Canadiens’ half-dozen Twitter users following last week’s NHL announcement that tweeting by players is no longer allowed in a window two hours before an opening faceoff until after post-game media obligations have been fulfilled.

But for now, and of much more importance:

Weekend traffic on the Champlain Bridge sure was horrible. #blamesubban

This restaurant hasn’t a clue how to cook pasta al dente. #blamesubban

My flight is delayed — again! #blamesubban

Your rotten cat dug up my flower bed. Blame, well, you know who.

In Twitter, the social media corner of cyberspace devoted to expressing ourselves 140 characters at a time, Canadiens defenceman P.K. Subban has good-naturedly become the reason for anything and everything in life that goes wrong. And Subban thinks it’s hilarious that he’s a global lightning rod.

With captain Brian Gionta and teammates Michael Cammalleri, Mathieu Darche, Max Pacioretty and Yannick Weber, Subban is a member of Twittersphere.

The six Canadiens use the platform in various ways, with different commitment, but combined they have more than a quarter-million fans and followers who subscribe to every word they type.

For the uninitiated, and there remain a few, Twitter is the social media platform that allows users to communicate everything from their favourite espresso to their solution for world peace, generally provided it can be done in a 140-character burst.

On Twitter, anyone can “tweet” their own thoughts via computer, smartphone or tablet, and with those devices follow the tweets of others, some users having a handful of “followers,” others having into the many hundreds of thousands, and more. Users are known by the symbol followed by whatever name they have chosen.

To their tweets, users can add “hashtags” to enable others to group subjects of interest they wish to read. For instance, #Habs is a common hashtag for those tweeting about the Canadiens.

It’s with the irreverent hashtag #blamesubban that Montreal’s sophomore defenceman is blamed for . . . everything.

“One guy came into the dressing room last year and said: ‘My washing machine is broken. ‘Hashtag blamesubban,’ ” he said, laughing. “I wasn’t on Twitter yet, so that might have been the first I heard of it.”

(Subban says the first real blamesubban came when he was six years old and he and a sister broke a lamp with a ball. It goes without saying who took the fall.)

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/Twitter+scapegoat+Subban+understands+power+social+media/5421949/story.html#ixzz1YNVbYmPE

Many media types live in the land of Twitter, but most regular people don’t

When the East Coast earthquake struck in late August, it appeared to hit particularly hard a place called “Twitter.”

“U.S. East Coast earthquake generated more Tweets than Osama bin Laden death,” the United Kingdom’s Telegraph reported

“Earthquake Hits East Coast: Aftershocks Felt on Twitter,” said TheWrap.com, a Los Angeles-based publication.

The Wall Street Journal helpfully chimed in with “Earthquake on the East Coast: The Reaction on Twitter,” composed of earthquake tweets from experts such as Ice-T, Rihanna and Snooki. Bethenny Frankel, we learned, was in the middle of lunch!

Where is this Twitter? Was it anywhere close to the earthquake’s epicenter in Mineral, Va.? The people who live in Twitter — do you think that they often consort with the people who live in Facebook, another strange and wonderful land that often appears in the news?

Media types love social networking. Love using it, love finding sources with it, love analyzing it, love writing about it, love love love. It’s a way of demonstrating how much we “get it.” Except it can also demonstrate that we don’t.

You’ve read these stories. There were stories when teachers started using Facebook,stories when coaches started using Facebook, stories when congressmen and judges and authors started using Facebook. There were stories on mothers using Facebook, then grandmothers. There were stories on every demographic using Facebook, until, finally, everyone was there and someone left to join something new.

Then there were stories on how everybody was on Twitter.

“I bet that what’s happening is that editors of a certain age are starting to discover it and are getting a little amazed by it,” says Mike Hoyt, the executive editor of the Columbia Journalism Review.

Case Photos Point to iPhone 5 Redesign

Did Case-Mate just accidentally confirm the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5?

With September in full swing, it's getting to the point where we're all looking at our watches and wondering when Apple is going to announce the iPhone 5. The rumor mill has had the launch of the device pegged for October, with an announcement supposedly scheduled for mid- to late-September, for months. Apple routinely has an iPod event in September, so many expect an iPhone 5 to be shown off too, but the company hasn't announced any such event yet. However, despite the month of September passing rapidly with no mention of a new iPhone from Apple, evidence to suggest there will be a new Apple smartphone continues to mount.

Zoom

Boy Genius Report reports that accessory and case maker Case-Mate yesterday posted a page to its website with six different iPhone 5 case designs. The page was pulled pretty quickly (not before someone nabbed the photos), but it's led to speculation that the iPhone 5 will feature significant design changes when compared to the iPhone 4. The cases show a curved silver back to the phone, suggesting that Apple has decided to ditch the glass backing and it had adopted for the iPhone 4.Case-Mates's iPhone 5/iPhone 4S page now carries a message that says the new iPhone(s) will arrive soon and when that happens, the company will be ready.

Read more at http://www.tomsguide.com/us/iPhone-5-Cases-Case-Mate-Redesign-iPhone-4S,news-12565.html

iPhone 5 Waiting Game: A Clever Marketing Strategy to Counter Android?

Apple's upcoming iPhone 5 is the muse of all media right now as consumers are engrossed with the feature-rich new smartphone.

It’s been almost a year since next generation iPhone leaks and news started circulating on the Web. However, there is no sign of the device as Apple has not made any official announcement. Like the crumbs falling from the table, the eager fans are getting info on their favorite device through various sources, credible and otherwise

From case leak to carrier announcement and a CEO’s predictions, there is no reprieve of amusement taking the form of iPhone 5. Sprint’s CEO has some details about the phone, which is why the information about iPhone 5 keeps popping out. Sprint’s strategy is working as the company plans to accommodate the next generation iPhone with unlimited data plan, a clear bait to lure consumers from AT&T and Verizon. The carrier is currently investing into infrastructure and monitoring their network to bring in quality service for their users. Sprint has noticed how the iPhone 4 worked for AT&T and Verizon. Hence the carrier would also like have a bite from the piece of pie. Almost all the rumors from Sprint, Best Buy and Telecom CEO point towards mid-October release.

Samsung Sues Apple in Australia Over iPhone, iPad 2, Appeals German Ban

Samsung Electronics Co. has accused Apple of patent infringement in Australia, widening a growing dispute between the two companies over smartphone technologies. Samsung is also appealing a German court's ruling to ban the sale of its Galaxy Tab in Germany.

Samsung on Saturday said it filed a lawsuit in Australia claiming that Apple's iPhone and iPad 2 tablet violate a number of wireless-technology patents it holds.

James Chung, a Seoul-based spokesman for Samsung, confirmed the news with Bloomberg. The South Korean company filed the claim with the Federal Court of Australia claiming that Apple's iPhone and iPad infringe on seven patents related to wireless communications standards, Bloomberg reported.

Samsung is Apple's closest rival and the legal battle between both companies, in terms of tablet computers, is intensifying. These battles are coming at a time when the number of consumers using these sought after devices and smartphones to surf the Web, play games and download music is growing.

"Samsung has a proud history of innovation in the mobile industry," the South Korea-based company has said after filing the Australian suit, as reported by Bloomberg. "It has invested continuously in R&D, design and technology to produce our innovative and cutting-edge mobile devices."

But Apple, a Cupertino-based company, tells a different story, as both it and Samsung have been battling over market share for both phones and tablet computers.

Apple has said Samsung has "slavishly" copied the iPad and iPhone. It was recently successful in blocking Galaxy sales in Australia and Germany.

Facebook Signs Partnership with Twitter

Facebook announced that users would be able to update their Twitter feeds from within their Facebook profile. The top social network acknowledged the fact that most of its users couldn’t live without their Twitter. It wouldn’t be long until we learn what Google would do about this partnership.

The concept of updating Twitter feeds through Facebook is not new. This is already possible in the past. Users can use their Facebook page as an RSS feed and link it to third party feed-readers. Then these readers would publish updates to Twitter.

In recent times, Facebook allowed Facebook Pages to automatically send feedback to a Twitter feed. Pages are different from a user profile. It is a Page that represents bands, public figures or businesses. But now Facebook allows users to send out a tweet from one’s profile.

Users can link a Facebook profile or Page to a Twitter account. Once the accounts are linked, the Twitter account will be updated every time the user posts a public update in Facebook. It said that only posts that were set to Public will be showed in Twitter. There’s no timeline given as to when the new feature would be made available to the Facebook users.

Source: http://www.toptechreviews.net/social-networks-2/facebook-signs-partnership-with-twitter/

The More Friends the Better

Jude Boudreaux, a financial adviser based in New Orleans, tweets on everything from why stocks plummeted after the federal debt-ceiling increase to tales of his toddler daughter's exploits to professions of love for penguins.

He's also rubbing elbows with clients and prospective clients on Facebook and LinkedIn, and checking in on Foursquare, where users share their locations through mobile phones.

Mr. Boudreaux, a fee-only certified financial planner at Upperline Financial Planning, is one of a growing group of financial advisers who are embracing all kinds of social media to develop closer relationships with clients and gain exposure to potential clients, particularly younger investors.

"I've met people through Twitter I wouldn't have met otherwise," says Mr. Boudreaux. "Ultimately I'll get into people's consciousness, and when they're looking for a planner, I'll be the one they think of."
Advisers also are using social media to learn from and collaborate with peers and competitors and to expand their hiring pools—again, particularly when it comes to attracting younger advisers.

Facebook's kosher twin separates users by gender

To say that some of the things you come across on Facebook aren't exactly kosher is a bit of an understatement. Fortunately, Facebook's fully kosher twin, FaceGlat, is up and running. FaceGlat--the name is a mashup of Facebook and glatt kosher, the most strict level of Jewish dietary laws dealing with meat--is essentially a basic Facebook clone that lets users connect; create groups; and share status updates, photos, videos, and events. But unlike Facebook, it separates men and women and also filters out objectionable language.

Not everyone on FaceGlat seems to be sticking with the guidelines, or at least not all users hail from the target demographic.

I signed up for an account and was a bit surprised to see this thumbnail of a mostly naked, tattooed young man with a Latino surname on my list of suggested possible friends.

He'll be needing a refund on his deposit for a grave plot in the orthodox cemetery.(Credit: Screenshot by Eric Mack/CNET)

FaceGlat is the creation of twentysomething Israeli developer Yaakov Swisa, who wanted to create an alternative for Facebook users who were uncomfortable with some of the content on the massive network. Swisa told ynetnews that he considered allowing people of opposite sexes from the same family to be able to connect on his site, but decided against it:

"We feared that would lead to impersonations and people making up names. In the end we decided to leave it as it is, and let the couples meet at home, on the sofa in their living room."

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-20107794-93/facebooks-kosher-twin-separates-users-by-gender/#ixzz1YNTNRpE5

The Facebook iPhone

In The Facebook Effect, David Kirkpatrick posits the great social network is the one entity that could bully Apple, today’s most powerful technology company. As the iPhone and other iOS devices have paved the way toward an unprecedented level of convergence, the collective power of Facebook’s user base presents a daunting challenge to Apple: specifically, could Facebook literally imprint its own applications on iOS devices, most notably the iPhone, to the point where it could, theoretically, transform the device into “The Facebook Phone” without ever having built its own hardware and/or standard mobile operating system?

At the moment, Facebook is believed to be undertaking what has been dubbed “Project Spartan,” its own Trojan Horse for stitching its social layer into multiple mobile platforms in lieu of building its own phone (like Apple) and/or its own mobile operating system (like Android). As “Spartan” has been written about before in detail (which I won’t recount here), the basic idea, as it applies to Apple, is the development and rollout of multiple HTML5 applications which would allow Facebook to create a range of mobile applications without having to adhere to the rules and toll charges imposed by Apple’s app-store.

Carved from Motorola, Cambium hopes to emerge soon

Two Canadian companies that sell wireless products from Motorola Solutions Inc. hope the investment company that bought its Canopy and Orthogon product lines will inject new life into the fixed broadband lineups.

“I think it’ll be good because the broadband division was a small part of Motorola’s overall business,”Claudio Ricci, country manager for distributor Wav Wireless Outfitters of Guelph, Ont., said of last month’s purchase of the divisions by Vector Capital of San Francisco. “This is going to allow them to get more business.”

The deal, details of which are still being finalized, will create a new business called Cambium Networks headed by the same management team that ran the two wireless units.

In Swift Current, Sask,, Garry Fernquist, owner of integrator Com Centre Inc., is cautious about Cambium, saying “it depends how it rolls out.” In particular, he hopes he’ll still be able to buy products direct from the new manufacturer.

He sells Canopy systems to farmers needing Internet connectivity and energy companies who need to send wireless data from remote wells and pipelines.

Fernquist said it is important that Cambium have new products because fixed wireless “is a highly competitive business.”

According to Rob Hansen, principal at Vector Capital, they won’t have long to find out the future. He hopes new products will be announced at the annual WISPAPALOOZA trade show for wireless internet service providers in Las Vegas Oct. 10-12.

Meanwhile, he’d like the deal itself – which had been expected to be finished by the end of this month – to close by the end of October. Until then Vector can only promise generally that it will invest “aggressively” in new products and more sales staff.

Motorola is a brand that has long been linked to a wide range of wireless products, but in the face of increasing competition for its handsets split the company at the beginning of this year into Motorola Solutions and Motorola Mobility – which has since been sold to Google. Motorola Solutions, meanwhile, is trying to stick to core products such as Wi-Fi-based WLAN and wireless mesh products, hence the sale to Vector Capital

Droid Bionic (Verizon) Review of Reviews

Reviewers of the Droid Bionic all agreed that it is the fastest smartphone on the Verizon network and gave it the honor of Editors' Choice concluding that the nine-month gestation/delay was worth the wait.

The best-rated features of the Droid Bionic are fast data speeds, extremely fast web browsing, video/media playing, excellent battery life, 1080p video recording and ability to use it as computer with either the Webdock or HD dock.

Features that were questioned were the MotoBlur features, lagging camera and pricing.

Benchmark tests were excellent and beat out its competitors on the Verizon Network but not the Samsung Galaxy S II.

Specs of the Droid Bionic are impresive, 4G LTE access, 4.3" LCD touchscreen, dual-core 1GHz processor, MotoPrint Wi-Fi printing, HDMI-out port, Wi-Fi, mobile hotspots, GPS, 16GB storage onboard and 16GB microSD installed.

The price from Verizon Wireless for the Droid Bionic is $299. However new customers who trade in any kind of phone can get at least a $100 gift(more if the trade-in value is higher) with the online exclusive trade-in deal while current Verizon customers can only trade-in a basic phone for the $100 gift card.

Meanwhile, online retailer Amazon is selling the Droid Bionic for $179.99 for new customers with a contract or $249.99 for renewing customers. An added bonus from Amazon is a $50 gift card for Verizon Wireless device-buyers with a two-year contract until 9/26 11:59 pm PDT.

If you already have smartphone with an unlimited data plan on Verizon Wireless you will be grandfathered for a 4G LTE unlimited plan otherwise new customers can opt for $30 for 2GB or $50 for 5GB per month.

Samsung Galaxy Note Android phone (preview)

Samsung Galaxy Note preview: Is the Samsung Galaxy Note a giant smartphone or a tiny tablet?

First, we had smartphones and notebooks. Then, the tablet created its own new category in between these two devices. Now, Samsung has boldly announced its intention to create yet another category, this time in between in the smartphone and tablet. Enter the Samsung Galaxy Note — with a 5.3in screen, is it an extra large smartphone or a compact tablet?

Samsung Galaxy Note: Display and S Pen

The Samsung Galaxy Note definitely boasts impressive specifications, but its screen is the source of most excitement. The 5.3in Super AMOLED HD display has a whopping resolution of 1280x800, making it a WXGA panel with 285 pixels per inch (ppi). The leaves it a notch below the iPhone 4’s "retina" ppi of 326, but it's a massive improvement over most other Android phones on the market — including Samsung's own Galaxy S II.

The second exciting feature of the Samsung Galaxy Note is its stylus, or what Samsung calls the "S Pen". Stored in the bottom right of the phone, the S Pen allows users to take notes, draw onto the screen, and even annotate screenshots or PDF files. We are yet to get our hands on the Galaxy Note, but the S Pen seems fairly responsive, and critically, it looks thin enough to be compared to a regular pen or pencil — a must if you are going to be drawing or writing on the screen. Samsung has also created an S Memo app that aids the use of the S Pen for taking notes and drawing.

Samsung Galaxy Note: Design and internals

Despite the Samsung Galaxy Note’s large footprint, its just 9.7mm thick. That being said, we suspect its mammoth size will be too large for most people to carry as their main phone. We foresee the Galaxy Note being used in combination with a smartphone, rather than as a primary phone — even if Samsung insists the Note has been designed as an all-in-one solution.

The Samsung Galaxy Note is powered by a dual-core, 1.4GHz ARM Cortex A9 processor, has 1GB of RAM, and will come in 16GB or 32 GB models. Thankfully, there’s also a microSD card slot for extra memory if you need it.

The impressive specifications don’t stop there. The Galaxy Note has an 8-megapixel camera on the rear with a single LED flash and it will record full HD 1080p video at 30 fps. There’s also a 2-megapixel front facing camera for video calls.

Anti-virus firms push security software for mobile devices

Research firm IDC says global spending on mobile security is on track to balloon to $1.9 billion by 2015, up from $407 million in 2010.

PC anti-virus companies Symantec, McAfee, Trend Microand Webroot, among others, are stepping up efforts to market their mobile security services to consumers.

A subscription, which typically costs about $30 per year, includes anti-virus protection, backup data storage and technology to locate a lost or stolen mobile device. Some offerings also include safe browsing, parental monitoring and the ability to remotely lock a missing device and even wipe clean all the sensitive data it contains.

"Security is not just about anti-virus anymore," says Kevin Mahaffey, chief technical officer of Lookout Mobile Security, which specializes in security services for Android and BlackBerry handsets. "Security involves everything that could go wrong with your mobile device."

The threat was highlighted last week after someone hacked into Scarlett Johansson's text messages to steal and circulate nude photos of the actress.

Other players are moving to cash in. AT&T recently announced a partnership with Juniper Networks to develop a mobile security platform for businesses and consumers. New software services, delivered over the Internet, are expected to be available later this year. The idea is to integrate mobile security services into the wireless Internet connection supplied by AT&T, then sell annual subscriptions for different packages of security services.

"Everyone recognizes that mobile devices have gone from being a convenience to being a necessity," says Ed Amoroso, chief security officer at AT&T. "As the value of the asset increases, attention to security increases, as well."

Mobile devices are "uniquely more sensitive than PCs" since "the device is with you all the times," says Trend Micro's Tarek Alawdeen.

And because of their size, "smartphones and tablets are easier to lose or have stolen than laptops and notebooks," adds Webroot's Chad Bacher.

LG Unveils LU6200 Smartphone

LG is set to launch a high-end smartphone after releasing entry-level and midrange Android handsets in the past. The LG LU6200 is set to be out in the market later this year and it would have specifications that would be comparable with Android smartphones from HTC or Samsung.
LU6200 Smartphone

The LG LU6200 has a dual-core 1.5 GHz processor, 4.5 inch HD display that’s capable of 720p videos, and an 8-megapixel camera. It is similar to the upcoming HTC Vigor. The new LG smartphone would be compatible with 4G LTE and has a front-facing 1.3 megapixel camera.

LG developed its own AH-IPS technology, which it said to be more accurate than Samsung’s Super AMOLED Plus. It has a 1,830 mAh battery that is also found in most high-end Android smartphones. It also has a DMB digital TV tuner.

LG plans to release the LU6200 smartphone to several carriers and markets at the same time. Verizon Wireless and Sprint have a strong relationship with LG. Analysts said that it would be out sometime in early 2012. LG didn’t say what Android version it would run in but if the timing is right then it would be able to load Android Ice Cream Sandwich.

Source: http://www.toptechreviews.net/mobiles-phones/smartphones/lg-unveils-lu6200-smartphone/

'Subconscious mode' could boost smartphone run times by over 50 percent

University of Michigan researchers have proposed a new power management system for smartphones that could dramatically improve battery life. Working with doctoral student Xinyu Zhang, computer science and engineering professor Kang Shin has created a proof-of-concept system known as E-MiLi, or Energy-Minimizing Idle Listening, that addresses the energy waste that occurs when "sleeping" phones are looking for incoming messages and clear communication channels. For users on the busiest networks, it could extend battery life by up to 54 percent.

E-MiLi slows down the clock of a phone's WiFi card by up to 1/16 its normal frequency in order to save power, but then kicks it back up to full speed when information is coming in. The phone uses the header of the incoming message to wake itself up from its "subconscious mode," so the clock is at full speed to receive the main message.

Google Chromebook - Updating the Operating System video

A few days ago, I did a story about how Google may need to look into a little heavier marketing plan to get the Chromebooks into peoples minds, rather than the traditional Windows laptop or netbook. There aren't very many people that really know anything about Google's new Operating System with respect to how many of them recognize a MacBook or Windows computer.

Yes, Google has their own agenda on where the focus on Google Chromebooks will be paid, which seems to be more towards the Business and Education sectors than anywhere else, at least for now anyway. I'm sure that with the announcement of Windows 8, and Microsoft bringing in developers to build apps for their new OS, Google will start to put more promotion into the general public's view on how Chrome OS truly is a great idea of how a computer should operate.

Here's a brief video to illustrate the power of an Operating System that lives in the cloud, updating itself and its apps to the latest versions, thus making it easy for you to do what you need to...use your chromebook!

Read more: http://technorati.com/technology/article/google-chromebook-updating-the-operating-system/#ixzz1YNRLlKEJ

Watch out, Google. Facebook courts small businesses.

It would be the rare tech-savvy small-business owner who doesn’t use the Google search advertising system to help generate interest in his or her business. Now, the woman who was behind the development of that service, Sheryl Sandberg, is working at Facebook, and USATodayis reporting that Sandberg aims to make the social network a much friendlier platform for small businesses.

According to the newspaper, Facebook is planning to unfurl an initiative that will give up to 200,000 small businesses $50 in free advertising credits. The ads are pay per click — Facebook will pick up the first $50 worth of clicks for ads that small businesses place.

Sandberg tells USAToday that roughly 9 million of the nation’s 30 million small businesses already use Facebook for some kind of business presence, because they haven’t bothered to create a Web site yet. She told the newspaper: “Facebook takes word-of-mouth marketing and makes it work at scale.”

Google Wallet Likely Launching Tomorrow

Last week, Google posted an awesome teaser video for Google Wallet featuring George Costanza. The implication: Google Wallet would finally be launching soon. Now we think we know when: tomorrow.

As you can see in the above image, documentation is being sent around to partners stating a September 19 launch day. We’ve heard from others that this is accurate. And it also lines up nicely with NFC World Congress, which kicks off tomorrow in the French Riviera. Google is not listed as a speaker or exhibitor at the event, but their main partner MasterCard is the official sponsor.Back in May when Google Wallet and Offers were initially unveiled, Google stated that field trials for Wallet would beging immediately and that an official launch would come this summer. Initial reportspointed towards a September 1 launch. Technically, summer lasts until September 22, so it looks like Google will hit their deadline with a few days to spare.

Back in May when Google Wallet and Offers were initially unveiled, Google stated that field trials for Wallet would beging immediately and that an official launch would come this summer. Initial reportspointed towards a September 1 launch. Technically, summer lasts until September 22, so it looks like Google will hit their deadline with a few days to spare.

Google Girds for a Grilling

Google Inc. is taking no chances as its executive chairman, Eric Schmidt, prepares to face a Senate hearing Wednesday on whether the company is abusing its dominance in Internet search.

Hoping to fend off any antitrust action, Google has hired at least 13 lobbying and communications firms since May, when the Federal Trade Commission ramped up its probe of the Internet giant. Firms led by figures from both parties—including former House Democratic leader Richard Gephardt and the son of Indiana Republican Sen. Richard Lugar—are going to bat for the company.

Looming over this week's proceedings will be rival Microsoft Corp., whose former chief executive, Bill Gates, faced his own congressional grilling on March 3, 1998.

Just two months after Mr. Gates's shaky performance, the U.S. government hit Microsoft with an antitrust suit accusing it of abusing its dominance in the market for PC operating software. Though Microsoft, which often chose confrontation with the government, ultimately avoided being broken up, the suit weighed it down for years.

At the time, Mr. Schmidt was a software executive who criticized Microsoft's operating-system dominance; Google had yet to be founded. Now, Mr. Schmidt represents a company whose situation strikingly resembles that of Microsoft 13 years ago.

Like Microsoft then, Google relies overwhelmingly on its core product, Internet search, and dominates the market for that product. It handles around two-thirds of U.S. Internet searches and more than 80% in many European countries, according to comScore Inc.

Microsoft now leads the critics who say that Google uses its dominance in search to gain an edge in other services, such as business listings, maps and product-comparison websites.

Google says it has users' interests in mind and adds that if people don't like its offerings, competitors are just a click away.

One lesson Google has learned from Mr. Gates's experience: Don't appear arrogant. "We understand with success comes scrutiny, and we're looking forward to the hearing and answering any questions senators may have about our business," a Google spokeswoman said.

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903374004576578720228529748.html#ixzz1YNQOE59e

Possibility of a White iPhone 5 Seems Likely as Release Nears, Why?

While Apple's next generation iPhone aka iPhone 5 is not yet officially announced, growing rumors are indicating a mid-October release.

According to The New York Times, the iPhone 5 is weeks away from being announced. If we go with the comments from France Telecom Chief Executive Officer Stephane Richard, the iPhone 5 will come out on Oct. 15. This goes against the rumored release date of Oct. 7, which has been most recently reported by 9to5Mac.

BGR also recently posted a timeline of the iPhone 5 and iOS 5 release dates, which also lends credibility to a mid-October launch. Citing a source close to the iPhone 5 development, the report said that the Cupertino-based tech giant will seed the iOS 5 beta 8 to developers on Friday, Sept. 16.

Along with the rumors, various questions are also surfacing around the most highly anticipated smartphone from Apple. One of these questions is about whether the iPhone 5 will also come in white.

When Apple launched the iPhone 4 last year, it came in the original black version. Soon after the launch, Apple made an announcement saying that a white version of the iPhone 4 would soon hit the stores. But the phone did not arrive within the promised timeframe. Customers had to wait a year for the lighter-toned smartphone.

On the delayed arrival of the white iPhone 4, Apple said that due to problems with the white coating on the casing, it took a year for the phone to get delivered. One may think that the Cupertino-based tech giant does not want to undergo the same issues again. Well, it does seem to have mastered the process. The upcoming device is proof of the company learning from its earlier mistakes.

iPhone 5 Features Taken From Android, Others

Anticipation is growing for Apple's next smartphone -- the iPhone 5 -- and while the company is as tight-lipped as ever, one needs only to look at rivals for hints of what might be included.

Hardware speculation aside, it's the software, iOS, that runs the phone and dictates the look, feel and character of the device, including its features.

But regarding the software, what's coming in the iPhone 5 is no secret. In fact, Apple demonstrated the new software, dubbed iOS 5, this past June at its Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco.

Boasting over 200 improvements, Apple execs raved about the great innovations coming to the next platform.

And while Apple does bring a lot to the table, some additions may not be so "magical" to those that have used rival platforms.

Let's look at the five key features and their origins.