Technology Today ( Apple,iPhone,iPad,Mac – Google,Tables,Android )
Technology News
Technology News
Google+ is a ghost town, study says
May 15th
Google’s emerging social network Google+ may boast big user numbers, but a new study suggests that social activity and user engagement are anything but impressive. Intended to give Google a stronger grip on the massive amount of data shared by users on social networks, Google’s answer to Facebook opened its doors to the public last September. After using some user acquisition methods that seemed a bit desperate, Google revealed in December that Google+ was then home to 62 million users. Google+ boasted an impressive 100 million users as of early April, but according to eCommerce analytics firm RJ Metrics, the social network is not the waterfall of data Google hoped it would be.
Fast Company on Tuesday revealed the findings of an RJ Metrics study that analyzed data from a sample of 40,000 public Google+ accounts in an effort to determine just how successful the crown jewel in Google’s social network portfolio really is. According to the firm’s findings, Google+ is a ghost town.
The RJ Metrics suggests that an average post on Google+ gets fewer than one “+1,” the equivalent of a “like” on Facebook, and fewer than one reply as well. Links and other items shared publicly by Google+ users are re-shared just 0.17 times per post on average. Users covered by the study averaged about one post every 12 days, and usage per user declines each month after they make their first public post.
In what is perhaps the most concerning stat from the firm’s study, about 30% of users who make a public post on Google+ never make a second one.
In a statement provided to Fast Article source: http://www.bgr.com/2012/05/15/google-plus-social-usage-study/
Analysts back away from Apple’s ‘iTV’
May 15th
Despite a slew of rumors and speculation that Apple plans to enter the TV business, analysts are beginning to back away from the idea of an “iTV,” Fortune reported. Richard Gardner, formerly of Citigroup, warned in December that “Apple has not even defined specs yet.” Barclays’ Ben Reitzes in February suggested that Apple was focused more on lining up content partnerships than on the production of a full-fledged television set. And now, Analyst Andy Hargreaves of Pacific Crest called the idea “a terrible use of retail space.”
“Investment in Apple television makes little sense without a unique TV content offering. An Apple television could drive substantial profitability if it helped Apple capture service provider profits,” Hargreaves wrote in a note to investors. ”However, we do not expect U.S. broadcast or cable networks to provide Apple content if it risks cannibalizing existing revenue, which makes a unique Apple service and an Apple television unlikely.”
The analyst continued by saying, “An Apple television would be a terrible use of retail space relative to iPhone, iPad or the Apple TV set-top box. A 46″ Apple television would likely generate less than 1/200th the gross profit per cubic foot as an iPhone at retail, and less than 1/50th the gross profit per cubic foot of an iPad. We believe this is critical given the limited inventory space at many Apple and partner stores.”
Dan Graziano
Article source: http://www.bgr.com/2012/05/15/apple-itv-analysts-rumors/
T-Mobile CEO warns company of job cuts
May 15th
Dear colleagues,
Since the beginning of the year, T-Mobile has stressed that 2012 is a rebuilding year for the company. A vital step in that process was announced in March with the consolidation of our call centers. This week, T-Mobile is taking the second essential step. We are announcing a new structure that further aligns our costs with our revenue realities, enables teams who support our field organization to act and react with greater speed and effectiveness to customer and market opportunities, and better positions us to return to growth.
The new organization required difficult decisions that will impact some of our employees. This week, news will be shared personally with employees and teams who are directly affected by the restructuring. Changes will include some position eliminations and changes to individual roles and responsibilities. It is important to emphasize these impacts to employees result from business decisions. We have tremendous employees here at T-Mobile and we truly wish we could retain all our talent, but our business realities require hard choices. For affected team members, we are providing generous transition support including severance, assistance with COBRA continuation coverage, and outplacement services. As mentioned in the March announcement, customer service representatives in the remaining 17 call centers, technicians in engineering, and frontline employees in our T-Mobile corporate-owned stores will not be affected.
Our rebuilt structure enables T-Mobile to realize significant savings, allowing us to invest in future growth – in particular modernizing our network to LTE, repositioning the T-Mobile brand, and aggressively pursuing the B2B segment where we plan to add 1,000 positions over the next few years. We gain the agility to put resources where the current opportunities are, grow in areas where potential is greatest, and act on emerging opportunities quickly
Article source: http://www.bgr.com/2012/05/15/t-mobile-job-cuts-restructuring/
Torrent-busting ‘Pirate Pay’ may be illegal
May 15th
A Russian startup that received $100,000 of funding from Microsoft made headlines recently as its emerging efforts to battle digital piracy found their way to the spotlight. Dubbed Pirate Pay, the company’s technology launches attacks on groups of computers hosting pirated content, theoretically making it impossible for them to share copyrighted material. While the company claims to have already successfully trialed its technology when it blocked nearly 45,000 attempts to download pirated copies of a Russian film, one expert believes Pirate Pay’s system may be illegal.“Reading the article it sound like they are spoofing traffic to confuse torrent clients and force disconnects,” former BitTorrent VP of engineering John Pettitt wrote in a note distributed in Dave Farber’s Interesting-People elist, Techdirt reports. ”It’s not at all clear if this will work against all versions of the protocol (particularly the udp based version). Leaving aside the technical issues it’s also unclear if such action is legal.”
Pettitt continued, ”It sounds like a targeted denial of service attack, a major corporation paying for such an attack leaves itself wide open to civil and criminal legal action particularly if they accidentally target the wrong torrent which given the history is highly likely.”
Pirate Pay’s trial was performed in cooperation with Russia-based Walt Disney Studios Sony Pictures Releasing, and it is unknown if the company is currently in talks with any major studios or related companies based in the United States.
Zach
Article source: http://www.bgr.com/2012/05/15/pirate-pay-torrent-piracy-illegal/
New Jersey town bans texting while walking
May 15th
The statewide ban on texting while driving wasn’t enough for one New Jersey town, according to The Huffington Post. After 74 crashes involving pedestrians in 2011, three of which were fatal, Fort Lee, New Jersey passed a new law earlier this year that fines walkers $85 who do not stop prior to texting. “It’s a big distraction,” Fort Lee Police Chief Thomas Ripoli said. “Pedestrians aren’t watching where they are going and they are not aware.” Since the law has been in place, Fort Lee police have issued more than 117 tickets. New York State Senator Carl Kruger has attempted to bring a similar ban to New York, which would also prohibit talking or using iPods while walking or running, however Kruger has been unsuccessful thus far.
Dan Graziano
Article source: http://www.bgr.com/2012/05/15/texting-while-walking-banned-nj/
Next-gen iMac said to include Retina display
May 15th
Apple’s next-generation iMac will reportedly feature a new high-resolution Retina display according to a recent report. Earlier this week, reports emerged claiming that Apple is readying a next-generation MacBook Pro with a redesigned ultra-thin case and a 15-inch Retina display. Production of the new MacBook Pro laptops has already begun according to earlier rumors. At the same time, Apple may take the wraps off an updated iMac model that also includes a high-resolution Retina display. ABC News reports that multiple sources have tipped the site off to the imminent launch of a Retina display-equipped iMac alongside a new MacBook Pro with a similar display, though no launch timing was discussed. Many expect Apple to unveil its next-generation iMac and MacBook Pro computers during its keynote at the annual Worldwide Developer Conference on June 11th.
Zach Epstein
Article source: http://www.bgr.com/2012/05/15/imac-retina-display-rumor/
Android applications can run on Samsung-backed Tizen OS [video]
May 15th
Tizen, the mobile operating system being developed by Samsung and Intel, can support programs written with Samsung’s Bada SDK as well as Android applications, The Handheld Blog reported. The operating system supports a program called Application Compatibility Layer (ACL), which is similar to Research in Motion’s Android player for the BlackBerry PlayBook. Open Mobile, the company behind ACL, claims Android apps will be able to run on a Tizen-powered device with 100% compatibility and feature the same responsiveness users would expect on a native Android device. The company hopes that the program will be integrated into smartphones and tablets by vendors and not end users. A video demonstration of Android apps running on a Tizen tablet follows below.
[Via Tablet News]
Dan Graziano
Article source: http://www.bgr.com/2012/05/14/tizen-os-android-apps/
Analyst fears video game industry may hit six-year low
May 15th
NPD Group last week announced that video games sales for the month of April were down 26% and software sales plummeted from $630.4 million to $307.2 million, representing a 42% decline from April 2011. The numbers shocked industry analysts, who predicted a maximum software decline of 27%. The only segment of the gaming industry that did not suffer was the accessories segment, which grew a mere 0.5% from $147.8 million last year to $148.6 million this year. According Gamasutra analyst Matt Matthews, “should the contraction from 2011 continue at this pace, annual U.S. retail video game revenue in 2012 could fall below the $12.6 billion figure from 2006,” representing a six-year low since the first full year of Xbox 360 sales and the launch year for both the Nintendo Wii and Sony PlayStation 3.
Dan Graziano
Samsung debuts Galaxy S III television spot [video]
May 14th
Samsung on Monday released a European television commercial for its upcoming flagship Galaxy S III smartphone. Rather than a mouth full of specs, the 60-second ad highlights the handset’s connection to humans and nature. The Galaxy S III “understands you, shares what’s in your heart, keeps track of loved ones, recognises who you are, follows your every move, sees your best side, connects with nature and waits till you’re asleep,” the commercial states. The smartphone is scheduled to launch at the end of May overseas and some time in June in North America. Samsung’s Galaxy S III commercial follows below.
Dan Graziano
Article source: http://www.bgr.com/2012/05/14/samsung-galaxy-s-iii-commercial/
Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer named worst CEO
May 14th
Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer is the worst CEO of any large publicly traded American company, according to Forbes. The executive sits atop of a list that contains the CEOs of other large companies such as Cisco, General Electric, Walmart and Sears. The publication highlights how Ballmer has “singlehandedly steered Microsoft out of some of the fastest growing and most lucrative tech markets (mobile music, handsets and tablets),” and in the process has sacrificed the growth and profits of other companies — Dell, Hewlett Packard and Nokia — within the Microsoft ecosystem. When Ballmer began his tenure as the software giant’s CEO in 2000, the company’s stock peaked at $60 per share. Within two years, the stock had tumbled into the $20-range and has just recently made a comeback to the low $30s.
“So today Microsoft, after dumping Zune, dumping its tablet, dumping Windows CE and other mobile products, is still the same company Mr. Ballmer took control over a decade ago. Microsoft is PC company, nothing more, as demand for PCs shifts to mobile,” Forbes contributor Adam Hartung said. “Years late to market, he has bet the company on Windows 8 – as well as the future of Dell, HP, Nokia and others. An insane bet for any CEO – and one that would have been avoided entirely had the Microsoft Board replaced Mr. Ballmer years ago with a CEO that understands the fast pace of technology shifts and would have kept Microsoft current with market trends.”
Microsoft, along with the four other companies named in the feature, are on the same route as Research in Motion, Best Buy and American Airlines according to the report,
Article source: http://www.bgr.com/2012/05/14/microsoft-steve-ballmer-worst-ceo/