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Bigger isn't always better for mobile ad clicks, report says
Bigger isn't always better for mobile ad clicks, report says
When it comes to advertising on mobile devices, bigger screens don't necessary equate to more clicks.
Although the Amazon Kindle Fire's popularity may be dipping, a mobile advertising company says that users of the 7-inch tablet click on more ads than do those who use the 9.7-inch Apple iPad.
Jumptap, a company that focuses on targeted mobile advertising, released a report today containing data related to mobile devices, fast food ads, and the Kentucky Derby.
While the Kindle Fire may have the highest percentage of actual clicks on advertisements for the first quarter of this year -- more
Apple's iPad favored among vast majority of would-be tablet buyers
Apple's iPad favored among vast majority of would-be tablet buyers
Apple's iPad is so popular that it will be just about the only tablet consumers are looking to buy this summer, according to new data from ChangeWave Research.
The research firm today revealed the results of a survey of nearly 2,900 consumers, finding that 73 percent of those who expect to buy a tablet in the next 90 days are planning to go with the iPad. Just 8 percent of respondents said that they will be buying the Amazon Kindle Fire in that period. Samsung's Galaxy Tab followed with interest from 6 percent of respondents. No other more
Ad networks said to be going around Apple to track iOS users
Ad networks said to be going around Apple to track iOS users
Despite Apple's earlier efforts to increase privacy on iOS, mobile ad networks have found new ways to find out what iPhone and iPad users are doing on their mobile devices, according to a new report.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting today, citing sources, that a host of mobile ad networks are now culling data from a unique identifier in the iPhone's wireless networking component, called Open Device Identification Number (ODIN). In addition, the ad networks have taken advantage of OpenUDID, which can be found in the platform's copy-and-paste feature.
Apple made waves in the mobile space more
Apple, Samsung to own 50% of smartphone market by 2013
Apple, Samsung to own 50% of smartphone market by 2013
Samsung and Apple are already doing a nice job controlling the smartphone market, but in the coming year, things will get even better for the companies, according to a new report.
Cannacord Genuity analyst Michael Walkley wrote in a note to investors today that he believes Apple's and Samsung's combined worldwide market share at the end of the second quarter was 48.1 percent. By the end of the year, that figure could hit 49.7 percent. And by the conclusion of 2013, their combined share could reach 52.3 percent.
Walkley believes that Samsung will take the more
Is this Facebook phone likely?
Is this Facebook phone likely?
The world may not be ready for another Facebook-flavored smartphone, but that hasn't stopped designer Michal Bonikowski from dreaming one up.
Ubergizmo reports that Mr. Bonikowski has imagined his own take on a handset targeted at Facebook addicts. Judging from the pictures posted by the tech Web site, unlike HTC's ill-fated Status phone, this fantastic device sports a big 4.2-inch display.
It's also painted Facebook blue and has a distinctively HTC-esque aesthetic complete with a flat slab of a body with softly blunted edges. The handset even flaunts a unibody metal chassis like the HTC One S and HTC One V.
more
Google acquires cloud-based Quickoffice
Google acquires cloud-based Quickoffice
Google has acquired Quickoffice, a cloud-based enterprise that provides mobile access office programs, Google announced today.
Quickoffice's software allows users to view, edit, and create Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents on their mobile device.
"Today, consumers, businesses, and schools use Google Apps to get stuff done from anywhere, with anyone and on any device," according to a Google blog post. "Quickoffice has an established track record of enabling seamless interoperability with popular file formats, and we'll be working on bringing their powerful technology to our apps product suite."
Both companies see the acquisition as a way to more
HTC One X available online today, in stores June 10
HTC One X available online today, in stores June 10
HTC One X fans have a real reason to celebrate. AT&T just announced that the superphone is available for order now online. The carrier also said the hot device will hit AT&T stores across the country on June 10 for $199.99.
Besides the extremely capable device, which boasts Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and HTC's latest Sense UI, AT&T will hawk the HTC Media Link accessory, too. The $90 Media Link allows One X owners to push digital content such as video, pictures, and audio to HDTVs via Wi-Fi and wired HDMI connection.
more
Windows Phone Marketplace hits the 100K app milestone
Windows Phone Marketplace hits the 100K app milestone
In just 20 months, more than 100,000 apps have been published to the Windows Phone Marketplace. That means 313 apps per day, according to the blog All About Windows Phone.
Not bad for an apps store playing catch up with Apple's iTunes and Google's Play. According to All About Windows Phone, Microsoft's mobile-app marketplace hit the 100,000 benchmark faster than Android, which took 24 months, but slower than iOS, which hit the mark in 16 months.
Ericsson: 4G will cover half the world's population by 2017
Ericsson: 4G will cover half the world's population by 2017
The Swedish telecommunications equipment company released its second Traffic and Market report during a media event today in San Francisco, Calif.
Fully titled as "Traffic and Market Report: On the Pulse of the Networked Society," the report predicts expansive global data coverage in the next five years.
According to its research, not only will half the world's population be covered by LTE/4G networks in 2017, but 85 percent of the world will have high-speed mobile 3G internet by then as well.
In addition, the total number of smartphone subscriptions will grow from 700 million in 2011, to amore
Flame virus can hijack PCs by spoofing Windows Update
Flame virus can hijack PCs by spoofing Windows Update
Using rogue security certificates, the virus is able to exploit Microsoft's Windows Update service to infect unsuspecting computers.
The infamous Flame virus can infect even secure PCs by tricking them into believing its malicious payload is actually an update from Microsoft.
As we already know, Flame has gained traction by tapping intosecurity certificates for Microsoft's Terminal Server. Though they appear to be digitally signed by Microsoft, the certificates are actually cooked up by the people behind Flame, thereby tricking PCs into accepting them as legitimate.
Microsoft and Symantec revealed yesterday that the virus can up the ante by using the fake certificates to spoof Microsoft's own Windows Update service. As such, Windows PCs could receive an update that claims to be from Microsoft but is in fact a launcher for the malware.
Symantec described the method behind Flame's madness: The virus, also known as Flamer, uses three applications to infect PCs -- Snack, Munch, and Gadget. Collectively, this trio can trick PCs into redirecting Internet traffic to an infected computer with a fake Web server,. Once infected, a PC thinks the file that loads Flame is actually a Windows Update from Microsoft.
And as Symantec explained in its blog, spoofing Windows Update is not a trivial matter.
Hijacking Windows Update is not trivial because updates must be signed by Microsoft. However, Flamer bypasses this restriction by using a certificate that chains to the Microsoft Root Authority and improperly allows code signing. So when a Windows Update request is received, the GADGET module through MUNCH provides a binary signed by a certificate that appears to belong to Microsoft.
The unsuspecting PC then downloads and executes the binary file, believing it to be a legitimate Windows Update file, Symantec added. The binary is not the Flame virus itself but a loader for Flame.
Microsoft also confirmed the risk to Windows Update, explaining that the vulnerability could be used to attack customers who weren't the focus of the original Flame virus.
"In all cases, Windows Update can only be spoofed with an unauthorized certificate combined with a man-in-the-middle attack," Microsoft said. The Flame virus itself has employed a man-in-the-middle attack to steal data, listen in on audio conversations, and take shots of screen activity.
Microsoft has already taken action by issuing a Security Advisory on how to block software signed by the unauthorized certificates, releasing an update to block the rogue certificates, and cutting off the ability of the Terminal Server Licensing Service to issue certificates that allow code to be signed.
To further protect its customers, the software giant is promising to harden its Windows Update service.
"We will begin this update following broad adoption of Security Advisory 2718704 in order not to interfere with that update's worldwide deployment," Microsoft said. "We will provide more information on the timing of the additional hardening to Windows Update in the near future."
Some security experts have downplayed the danger of Flame, claiming it's not as huge a threat as feared.
So far, the virus has targeted just the Middle East. But security vendor Kaspersky, which discovered the virus, is at the very least increasingly amazed by the complexity of it.
"As we continue our investigation of Flame, more and more details appear which indicate our initial statement: this is one of the most interesting and complex malicious programs we have ever seen," Kaspersky said in a blog yesterday.
How Airtime could end up filling Facebook's coffers
How Airtime could end up filling Facebook's coffers
The much-hyped Airtime launched today, with Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning running the show. It's a risky bet -- but if it pays off, it could return big dividends to Facebook.
Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning
(Credit: Airtime)
When Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning launched their latest startup this morning -- a social video chat service called Airtime -- you can bet that one person hoping for its success was Parker's longtime pal and onetime business partner, Mark Zuckerberg.
Zuckerberg wasn't on hand at the celeb-filled launch in New York City -- though Zuck was spotted on Airtime later in the day -- and this wasn't a Facebook event by any means. But the pitch by Parker, who was Facebook's founding president and still owns a chunk of the newly public company, at times sounded very much like Zuckerberg -- at least the Zuckerberg who talks about connecting all of humanity.
"We are building a network service very different from a consumer software product," said Parker. "It's not something you can hold in your hand; the value is all in the connections between users."
And that, of course, is exactly what gives Facebook its value -- the 526 million people across the planet who use Facebook at least once a day, and 901 million who do so monthly.
Punching up the social part of Facebook
Airtime, like so many sites across the Web, uses Facebook Connect as a way to let people log in. But it goes farther than most sites; this isn't about sharing what you're doing in your News Feed. In many ways, Airtime seems like a Facebook feature -- almost like something that Facebook should have built itself.
Airtime, like so many sites across the Web, uses Facebook Connect as a way to let people log in. But it goes farther than most sites; this isn't about sharing what you're doing in your News Feed. In many ways, Airtime seems like a Facebook feature -- almost like something that Facebook should have built itself.
At its basic level, Airtime allows simple video chat with your Facebook friends. Fire up Airtime and the site shows you which of your Facebook friends are also available. That's easy enough, and something that frankly seems expected at this point. Google offers instant video chatting via Gmail. Google+ has hangouts. It's only logical that Facebook should have this, too.
Zuckerberg himself started talking up video chatting last summer, when he announced an integration with Skype with much fanfare. He rolled out the service at an event at Facebook's headquarters, and spent time talking about how much people wanted video chat baked into Facebook. Then, Skype deepened the partnership last fall by adding Facebook video calling to Skype's desktop apps -- so Skype users could initiate a video chat with someone on Facebook without having to log onto the social network.
How many people are using Skype through Facebook, though, is unclear. A spokeswoman for Skype said that the service, now part of Microsoft, has 250 million "monthly connected users," about half of whom are using Skype for video. But she wouldn't break out the usage by platforms. A Facebook spokeswoman also wouldn't share details.
The key to Airtime -- though this could be the thing that could also make it flop -- is that it lets you meet strangers. This is why it's being compared with the short-lived Chat Roulette, although Airtime claims that it has measures in place to prevent it from deteriorating into a porn platform. Airtime takes your likes and interests and, if you want, connects you with people who share some connection -- either through friends or through interests.
What the audience for this looks like is unclear at best. But even if it turns to be just a small sliver of Facebook users, that could be huge. The fact that Airtime is so easy to use could help it achieve Skype-like numbers quickly. Moreover, the people most likely interested in meeting new people -- presumably the younger set -- are exactly the users Facebook needs to keep on the site. A successful Airtime could help keep Facebook cool, and that's no trivial thing for a site that large.
At the launch, Parker said he's hoping Airtime will spice up online life. A question he keeps asking himself, he said, is, "Why is the Internet so boring?" People's habit of "looping" in and out of their social network isn't fun anymore, he said. "There's no serendipity."
More video chatting leads to more data
If enough people agree with Parker, that will help Facebook with what it needs more and more of: data. Rich and accurate data, after all, is the only way Facebook can make more money, which for now is almost entirely through advertising. And with Facebook's stock now 29 percent down from its offering price of $38 a share, money must be on the minds of execs at Facebook.
If enough people agree with Parker, that will help Facebook with what it needs more and more of: data. Rich and accurate data, after all, is the only way Facebook can make more money, which for now is almost entirely through advertising. And with Facebook's stock now 29 percent down from its offering price of $38 a share, money must be on the minds of execs at Facebook.
If Airtime catches on, those who use its social features are likely to start paying more attention to what they "like" and don't like on Facebook. For Airtime to do a good job of connecting you to people who share your interests, it's important for you, the Facebook user, to do a good job selecting the things that really do interest you. (Changes you make to your interests on Airtime aren't reflected on Facebook, however). Don't want to be connected to fans of, say, the Toyota Prius? Then unlike that brand.
Maybe you want to meet people to talk about Maroon 5 or -- gasp -- "American Idol." Airtime will encourage you to like those brands, and that, in turn, will help Facebook figure out smarter ways to target ads or offers that you might be interested in.
Zuckerberg has to love that. In fact, now that Facebook is sitting on a pile of cash -- having pulled off the largest and messiest tech IPO in history -- it wouldn't be surprising if Facebook eventually acquired Airtime outright, taking the Instagram route.
Like Instagram, Parker might find it easier to sell to Zuck than to come up with a business model. If he does, though, odds are good he'll want more cash than stock.
But Airtime certainly has some big hype to live up to. These are the boys who launched Napster, after all. They've also raised $33 million from some big Silicon Valley investors -- many of whom, incidentally, were key backers of Facebook. That includes Accel Partners, Peter Thiel's Founders Fund (where Parker also works), and Andreessen Horowitz.
And judging by today's live demo, a presentation filled with technical flubs, the service still has some kinks to work out.
CNET's Greg Sandoval contributed to this report.
E3 2012: Five unanswered questions about Wii U
E3 2012: Five unanswered questions about Wii U
Nintendo shows off a huge number of Wii U games, but still leaves us in the dark on some basic details.
(Credit: James Martin/CNET)
LOS ANGELES--Nintendo showed off nearly two dozen games for the Wii U at its E3 2012 press conference. That's a deep software bench, but with all the emphasis on games, many important questions about the Wii U hardware and user experience have been left unanswered.
How will streaming media work? Nintendo says Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu, and other video sources will be available, but there were no further details. Is Nintendo going to have its own video store? Unlikely, but will there be any significant exclusive video content that other consoles don't have? How about live TV, the new holy grail of consoles?
How will two-tablet gameplay work? Even though it was not confirmed until today, everyone knew the Wii U would have to eventually support dual GamePad tablets. But, the company says only single-tablet gameplay is ready to show at E3. This adds to the mix of different ways you can play, combining GamePads, the Xbox-like Wii U controller, and Wii wands.
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What is the range of the GamePad signal?Does it use common network tech, such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi? We hear the answer is no. Using the GamePad without having to turn on your TV sounds interesting. But, can you take it into the next room? Even to the far side of a large living room? Otherwise the ability to play a game while someone else is watching your big TV may be limited.
How similar will Miiverse be to Xbox Live or the PlayStation Network? At first glance, the new Miiverse social network looks a lot like your collection of Miis on the Wii (try saying that five times fast). There is text-bubble communication and even video chat via GamePad, but will your Miiverse Mii act as a true single avatar for the player across games, media, and other features? Will there be a premium version, like Microsoft and Sony have?
How much will the Wii U and the GamePad cost? We already suspected Nintendo would not reveal this information at E3, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't be asking for it. With a release no more than five or six months away, it's time to start thinking seriously about how the Wii U is going to position itself.
What are your most burning Wii U questions? Let us know in the comments section below.