Rebranded Ignite100 wants to set Euro startups on fire

Rebranded Ignite100 wants to set Euro startups on fire

By Bobbie Johnson Jul. 1, 2011, 7:01am PT No Comments

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Last year, The Difference Engine — a startup accelerator based in the North East of England — arrived on the European scene with a splash. While the scheme, which followed the common hothouse model pioneered by the likes of Y Combinator and TechStars, wasn’t exactly a revolutionary one, the fact that it offered new companies a chance to grow in Newcastle — far removed from the London bubble — was an interesting twist.

Twelve months on, however, it seems the Difference Engine as we knew it is no more. This year, the scheme is returning, but with a new name and a slightly different spin: now called Ignite100, the organizers say they are stepping things up and taking it all to another level. So what makes this new incarnation of the Difference Engine, er… different?

The changes seem to be mostly about cash. The program itself is still largely the same, with 13 weeks of mentoring and training, while the short-term team funding has been cut slightly — down to 15,000 ($24,000) from 20,000 ($32,000). But the real kicker is that at the end of that accelerator period, each team will receive 100,000 ($160,000) in funding provided by local investment groups such as Northstar Ventures, Hotspur Capita land Green Lane.

This pot of money means that Ignite100 is now positioning itself as “Europe’s first 1 million accelerator program” — although that may be overstating things a bit. While it’s true if you just look at the numbers, other groups like Seedcamp and HackFwd could probably all claim something similar based on the sums invested. It also means that Ignite100 is able to make direct comparisons to Y Combinator, which was boosted earlier this year by the news that Russian investor Yuri Milner and Silicon Valley angel Ron Conway would begin offering $150,000 to every graduating team.

Does that comparison flatter to deceive? Maybe. Accelerators are largely about getting funding, but if YC proves anything, it’s that great accelerators are about a lot more than money. And even when the cash does come for Ignite100 participants, it’s not from the pockets of traditional technology industry angels: Northstar’s funds, for example, come from governmental development organizations, while Green Lane is actually a property investment business.

Still, the organizers are clearly proud that they’ve done something nobody else has yet managed in Europe, and are urging founders with passion to sign up. It’s a “very compelling opportunity,” says executive director Jon Bradford, who also runs Springboard in Cambridge. The Ignite100 application process is open for just over two weeks.

Photograph used under Creative Commons license, courtesy of Flickr user Laszlo Photo

Chrome breaks 20 percent global browser market share

Chrome breaks 20 percent global browser market share

By Simon Mackie Jul. 1, 2011, 6:59am PT 10 Comments

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Google’s Chrome browser is continuing to grow in popularity. According to StatCounter, a website analytics company, Chrome is now used by a fifth of Internet users worldwide, taking 20.7 percent of the global browser market in June, up from just 2.8 percent in June 2009. In the same two-year period, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer share has fallen from 59 to 44 percent, and Mozilla’s Firefox also dropped slightly, from 30 to 28 percent.

That’s an impressive result for Google’s WebKit-based browser, which was only released in December 2008. One of the reasons Chrome originally gained so much traction, apart from its novelty, was its clean design, blisteringly fast V8 JavaScript engine and support for newer web standards, which, when Chrome was released, meant it ran complex web applications, like Gmail and Google Docs, much faster than the crop of browsers that existed at the time. Its release forced the other browsers vendors to catch up, even Microsoft, sparking a new round of browser wars. This resulted in an across-the-board improvement of browsers that’s not only good news for users, it’s good for Google, too, as the company wants to make using its web apps feel as close to a desktop experience as possible.

Note: Browser market share statistics should always be viewed with a healthy slice of skepticism, as they can be skewed depending on where the data is collected from. StatCounter Global Stats are based on aggregate data collected on a sample exceeding 15 billion page views per month (4 billion from the U.S.) from the StatCounter network of more than three million websites, but it should be pointed out that Net Applications, for example, reports Chrome’s marketshare at 12.5 percent in May.

Wi-Fi: It’s the other cell network

Wi-Fi: It’s the other cell network

By Stacey Higginbotham Jul. 1, 2011, 8:30am PT 5 Comments

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Japan’s KDDI has seen the future of cellular service, and Wi-Fi has a starring role. The mobile operator will build out a Wi-Fi network composed of 100,000 hot spots and a WiMAX overlay that will take traffic off the cellular network when needed and will integrate seamlessly with the carrier’s existing 4G network. Given the demand for data, this heterogeneous network is the future of mobile broadband, and could lead to lower operating costs and perhaps cheaper prices for end users.

Here’s how KDDI’s network will operate according to Ruckus Wireless, the company providing the Wi-Fi base stations:

Lightning-fast hotspot deployment and cheap wireless backhaul

The base stations are all dual-band 802.11n boxes with Ruckus’ adaptive antenna in them. The access points have a special USB port on the back that KDDI uses to connect a WiMAX router for backhaul.

Cover your insides

Contrary to conventional wisdom, the majority of mobile data traffic that needs to be offloaded (some 75 percent) is generated indoors where cell signals have trouble and where users are most of the time.

Seamless sign on

KDDI developed a special software client that uses existing cellular credentials. There’s a one-time “activation” process that requires the subscriber to use the cellular network to download a small client that then automatically configures all the encryption keys, wireless SSID and authentication information on the end device.

Adapt the existing Wi-Fi to something carrier grade

KDDI isn’t using a traditional hot spot. Though they provide Wi-Fi access to KDDI users, the base stations are mobile data offload sites designed to siphon data traffic off the cellular network and onto a parallel Wi-Fi network that’s tied into their overall network architecture so KDDI is able to maintain visibility and control over the subscribers.

What KDDI has done is take the jerry-rigged AT&T or Verizon approach to Wi-Fi, whereby a mobile operator provides access to free hot-spots but relies on the user to do the work, and tossed it out the window. KDDI has brought Wi-Fi (and WiMAX) into its network and made it work together in a way that will proactively keep its cellular network less congested. It also helps answer my question – why isn’t Wi-Fi better? – from a few months ago. Presumably, KDDI has or will also implement rules that will help route traffic onto the most appropriate network based on the content, cost and existing network traffic. It also needs to get a client that works on phones other than those running Android.

Consumers like Wi-Fi already.

However, such intelligent, multi-mode networks are the inevitable future for mobile operators given that our current demand for data will surpass our available spectrum. This has big implications for carriers, who could lower their cost for transferring a bit over their network by using alternative technologies, and perhaps lower the costs for consumers (or reduce caps.) It also changes the stakes for device makers who may have to start thinking about more power efficient radios (Wi-Fi is a notorious battery suck) and for Wi-Fi equipment providers such as Ruckus, Bel Air Networks, Meraki and Tropos. My guess is those carrier-grade Wi-Fi providers will suddenly find themselves acquisition targets from the Ericssons and Alcatel-Lucents of the world.

So, keep an eye on KDDI, its 32 million subscribers and its build out, which will be completed by March 2012. The future of mobile networks is less than a year away.

Newspapers and social media: Still mostly doing it wrong

Newspapers and social media: Still mostly doing it wrong

By Mathew Ingram Jul. 1, 2011, 9:15am PT 6 Comments

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Mainstream media entities of all kinds continue to come out with policies that show they still don’t really understand how social media works, or how to use it effectively. The latest example comes from E.W. Scripps, a media conglomerate that owns a chain of newspapers and TV affiliates. Among other things, the chain’s new policy threatens its employees with termination if they use their blogs, Twitter or Facebook accounts improperly, and tries to draw a hard line between “personal” and “professional” usage — something that is not only difficult to do, but is arguably misguided. While some media outlets are trying to take advantage of social tools to really engage with their readers, others still seem stuck in the Dark Ages.

The Scripps policy starts out by saying that the company — which also owns the Scripps-Howard newswire service and the United Features comic-strip distribution syndicate — recognizes “the crucial role social media plays in providing local news and information to our readers, viewers and business partners” and that the chain’s papers and TV stations “have embraced the Internet and social media sites as essential elements of our future.” But after these motherhood statements, the policy quickly goes downhill, not unlike some other social-media policies we’ve written about in the past.

Broadcast, not a conversation

For one thing, the Scripps policy says the chain continues to “embrace new technologies to distribute our content and market our advertisers” — in other words, a one-way, broadcast-oriented approach, rather than using new tools as a way to talk with readers or viewers, instead of just at them. The policy also states:

The primary purpose of a personal account “is for employees to connect with friends or others with similar interests that aren’t work related.”

A personal account “should focus on your personal life.”

Scripps content created for work purposes “may be posted on a personal account before it is published or broadcast only with permission of a supervisor.”

If staff post “work product” on a personal social-media account “remember that Scripps owns the rights to that work product.”

Personal is better

It’s not surprising Scripps would want to draw a hard-and-fast line between the personal and the professional — lots of companies try to do this. But the whole point of social media is that it is (to some extent at least) personal, whether managers like it or not; that’s why it is so powerful. We identify with and are drawn to people like New York Times reporter Brian Stelter when they use social media because they give us insight into their personal experience. Should Stelter have avoided talking about how he forgot to bring proper clothes when he went to report on the recent Missouri tornado, and how his mother chewed him out for it? No. It made his account more entertaining.

Trying to make a writer or journalist’s use of social media less personal and more “professional” is not only misguided, but actually makes it less likely that any social-media usage will be effective or useful. Should you avoid excessive over-sharing and intensely personal opinions? Sure. You should be the best possible version of yourself, as I’ve argued before. But to make it less personal it to make it inherently less worth doing. And media outlets should be thinking about how to take advantage of the fact that everyone is becoming a brand now, instead of trying to stamp that out somehow.

While Scripps seems determined to try to assert as much control as possible over everything its writers do on the web or through social tools, other media outlets are experimenting with reaching out to their readers in all kinds of ways, and having some success doing so. The New York Times, for example, has been making more use of Twitter to engage with readers — and writers like Stelter have been showing how to use it and Tumblr as reporting tools as well. The newspaper also recently created an online debate (part of its ongoing “Room for Debate” series) based on ideas suggested by one of the paper’s readers.

Some other mainstream media outlets have gone even farther in trying to get their readers involved and engaged through social tools: the Register-Citizen in Torrington, Conn. has started inviting readers into its daily story meetings, by setting up a live discussion on its site that anyone can participate in (using CoverItLive software from Demand Media). As the newspaper’s editors described it:

Readers will be encouraged to comment on what aspects of a story to pursue, whom reporters should talk to about it and the larger context that should be considered in writing about the topic. It will also serve as an opportunity for readers to suggest other story topics the newspaper should pursue.

This move by the Register-Citizen is only the latest move by the paper to connect with its community: the newspaper was also one of the first to create a physical “open newsroom” as well as an online one, allowing readers and anyone in the town to come in and talk to the staff, sit in on daily story meetings and even have a cup of coffee and use the free wireless network. The Torrington paper is one of the flagships of the Journal-Register Co., where CEO John Paton has taken an aggressively “digital first” approach to turning the formerly bankrupt newspaper publisher around, with some success.

And the Register-Citizen isn’t the only one pursuing the “open newsroom” idea: A Swedish newspaper is also holding daily story meetings online with CoverItLive, asking readers for suggestions and input on what it is covering. The paper’s editor told a conference recently that not only have readers shown a huge interest in getting involved in this way, but advertisers are also interested because of the increased engagement that the paper has been able to show. “Get readers involved with your brand, engage them with their hearts and minds and the money will follow,” the editor said.

Smart advice — but chains like Scripps are going to have to change the way they think about social media before they get any of those benefits.

Post and thumbnail photos courtesy of Flickr users Hans Gerwitz and jphilipg

Zynga files for $1B IPO: A day late but not a buck short

Zynga files for $1B IPO: A day late but not a buck short

By Colleen Taylor Jul. 1, 2011, 9:41am PT 1 Comment

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Zynga, the San Francisco-based social gaming company, on Friday filed its S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission to raise a cool $1 billion. The IPO filing comes just one day later than many people expected — reports have been bubbling for weeks that Zynga was planning to file its S-1 sometime in June.

According to the filing, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs will be the IPO’s lead bookrunners. Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Barclays Capital, J.P. Morgan and Allen & Company are also listed as underwriters for the IPO.

Zynga is looking to raise a maximum of $1 billion in the IPO.

As expected, the S-1 reveals that Zynga is solidly profitable and apparently growing. The company reported net income of $90.6 million on $597 million in net revenue for 2010. Zynga’s adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, debt and amortization (EBITDA) was $392.7 million. The company spent $114 million on sales and marketing over the course of last year, and CEO Mark Pincus collected a salary of $301,154.

The filing indicates that Zynga started off this year by maximizing its top-line growth, at the expense of its margin percentage. In the first three months of 2011, Zynga had $235 million in net revenue with $11 million in net income. As of March 31, 2011, Zynga had $995 million in cash and cash equivalents on its books.

Zynga managed to fit in a bit of whimsy with its cold hard financial facts. The filing reads: “By offering our shares to the public we hope to enable Zynga to invest more in play than any company in history. To accomplish this, we will continue to make big investments in servers, data centers and other infrastructure so players’ farms, cities, islands, airplanes, triple words and empires can be available on all their devices in an instant. We will also continue to fund the best teams around the world to build the most accessible, social and fun games.”

First GSM call was made 20 years ago today

First GSM call was made 20 years ago today

By Om Malik Jul. 1, 2011, 9:15am PT 3 Comments

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Harri Holkeri, then prime minister of Finland, makes the world’s first GSM call 1 July 1991 in Helsinki, Finland.

This is turning out to be a week of anniversaries. We celebrated four years of iPhone earlier this week. And today is the 20th birthday of the first GSM phone call, which in many ways was the beginning of a new era in telecommunications and start of the global wireless revolution. GSM was adopted in 1987 as the European standard for second generation mobile technology. More than 4.4 billion people use phones based on GSM standard today.

Here is a video to show the first GSM call that was placed on the first GSM network built by Telenokia and Siemens – now Nokia Siemens Networks – for the Finnish operator Radiolinja, now Elisa. Nokia introduced its first digital handheld GSM phone, the Nokia 1011, in 1992.

Hulu adds social features with Facebook Connect

Hulu adds social features with Facebook Connect

By Ryan Lawler Jul. 1, 2011, 8:30am PT 1 Comment

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Hulu is getting a lot more social with new features based on Facebook Connect. In a blog post Friday, the online video distributor announced that users will now be able to log into the service with their Facebook account, comment on specific moments in a show or clip they are watching, interact with friends on Hulu and discover new content based on what their friends are watching. Not just that, but Hulu is offering a free month of Hulu Plus to anyone who signs up with Facebook Connect.

Starting with the login, the Facebook Connect integration ties your Hulu account to the social network, allowing you to easily share what you’re watching on Hulu with your friends. With a share button directly below the video player, Facebook-connected users can now link to specific moments in the video and send those moments into their Facebook feeds.

But the integration isn’t just about surfacing clips and shows on your Facebook wall; it goes both ways. Friends that connect their Hulu and Facebook accounts will have their viewing patterns displayed on a new personalized homepage — so you don’t even need to go to Facebook to see what they’re watching. While providing social recommendations, it also allows you to interact with people that watch the same shows you do.

For Hulu, connecting with Facebook is a no-brainer. It enables its viewers to more easily share videos with their friends and could help drive viewership of its content. And by tying a free Hulu Plus subscription to Facebook Connect, it could potentially introduce a whole new group of paying users to its $7.99 a month subscription service. Even if just a small number of users convert to paying subscribers, it will have drastically increased its paid user base.

And for Facebook, the deal shows again how important the social network is becoming in helping its users to find and discover video content. Not only do they watch a ton of video on the site, but it’s quickly becoming the social video recommendation engine for many online video distributors.

Zynga S-1 highlights cloud as competitive advantage

Zynga S-1 highlights cloud as competitive advantage

By Derrick Harris Jul. 1, 2011, 10:48am PT No Comments

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In some cases, cloud computing is merely a means to avoid investing in “undifferentiated heavy lifting,” but when done right, it actually can be a source of significant competitive advantage. So says Zynga, at least, which highlighted its unique cloud infrastructure, as well as its advanced analytics efforts, as part of its core strengths in the S-1 statement it filed this morning.

According to the form, Zynga views its “scalable technology infrastructure” as a core strength, stating, “We have created a scalable cloud-based server and network infrastructure that enables us to deliver games to millions of players simultaneously with high levels of performance and reliability.” In describing its cloud infrastructure as an important aspect of its business, Zynga’s S-1 says:

Our physical network infrastructure utilizes a mixture of our own datacenters and public cloud datacenters linked with high-speed networking. We utilize commodity hardware, and our architecture is designed for high availability and fault tolerance while accommodating the demands of social game play.

We have developed our architecture to work effectively in a flexible cloud environment that has a high degree of elasticity. For example, our automatic provisioning tools have enabled us to add up to 1,000 servers in a 24-hour period in response to game demand. We operate at a scale that routinely delivers more than one petabyte of content per day. We intend to invest in and use more of our own infrastructure going forward, which we believe will provide us with an even better cost profile and position us to further drive operating leverage.

Zynga has been touting its Z Cloud infrastructure for more than a year, which reverses the conventional approach to hybrid cloud computing. Whereas many analysts initially assumed companies would use private clouds as a gateway to public clouds, Zynga uses Amazon EC2 as a staging ground before ultimately moving games onto private cloud resources. Essentially, Amazon’s cloud lets Zynga scale elastically and determine average traffic load and other metrics, so that it can optimize its internal infrastructure for each game’s specific needs.

The goal of this strategy is efficiency: Zynga doesn’t have to invest in more resources than necessary upfront, nor does it have to worry about underprovisioning resources or otherwise inadequately configuring them when it brings games onto its private cloud. In many cases, private clouds can cost less than public clouds for applications with fairly stable usage patterns, and they help companies meet various requirements around security and compliance. Zynga uses Cloud.com for its private cloud infrastructure, as well as RightScale as a management layer that makes for a uniform experience in terms of managing both public and private resources.

As is the case with every leading web company, Zynga also highlights its big data strategy as a key differentiator. Describing its “sophisticated data analytics,” the S-1 notes, “The extensive engagement of our players provides over 15 terabytes of game data per day that we use to enhance our games by designing, testing and releasing new features on an ongoing basis. We believe that combining data analytics with creative game design enables us to create a superior player experience.”

Cloud computing and advanced analytics are double-edged swords, though. As Zynga’s S-1 acknowledges, relying on publicly hosted cloud computing resources makes it vulnerable to service outages like Amazon Web Services’ infamous April 2011 outage, which temporarily downed both FarmVille and CityVille. “If a particular game is unavailable when players attempt to access it or navigation through a game is slower than they expect, players may stop playing the game and may be less likely to return to the game as often, if at all,” the form states.

Relying on advanced infrastructures and analytics also means competing with companies such as Facebook, Google and others for employees skilled enough to keep Zynga’s operations on the cutting edge. Specifically, the company acknowledges, “game designers, product managers and engineers” are in high demand, making attracting and retaining them a resource-intensive process. In some cases, this has meant offering particularly attractive employees lucrative stock options, which could come back to bite the company. As it notes in the S-1, “[W]e expect that this [IPO] will create disparities in wealth among our employees, which may harm our culture and relations among employees.”

Image courtesy of Flickr user eschipul.

5 reasons why Microsoft Hohm didn’t take off

5 reasons why Microsoft Hohm didn’t take off

By Katie Fehrenbacher Jul. 1, 2011, 7:54am PT 2 Comments

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They’re dropping like flies: the big Internet companies’ online energy tools. Last week, it was Google pulling the plug on PowerMeter , and this week, it’s RIP for Microsoft and its Hohm energy tool .

So what happened with Hohm? Some of the reasons are the same ones that led to the demise of PowerMeter, but some issues seem specific for Hohm. Here’s my assessment of 5 reasons why Microsoft Hohm didn’t take off:

1. Limited initial use. One of the upsides of the Microsoft Hohm system was that any consumer could access it by putting in their zip code and adding in various other bits of information like size of home, etc. The tool then started giving you immediate feedback on how you could be more energy-efficient, based on just this data and using the algorithms Microsoft licensed from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the Department of Energy. However this initial step — before you connected it with your utility account or added in a Hohm gadget — didn’t really provide much use.

I tried out the tool several times on this limited basis and found it to be lacking. When more information was added, the tool got a whole lot better (see Kevin’s review here). While the simplicity of the initial use was an attractive idea, it didn’t really add that much value. Scott Hublou, co-founder of startup EcoFactor, says he thinks Hohm, as well as PowerMeter, suffered from “Mean Time to Kitchen Drawer,” which describes services that have high initial appeal, but lack any real sustainable interest by a homeowner, and when the initial appeal fades away, it ends up in the back of the proverbial kitchen drawer.

2. Utility barrier. Like with Google PowerMeter, utilities just didn’t seem to embrace the Microsoft Hohm tool. Microsoft launched the tool with utility partners including Xcel Energy, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Seattle City Light, and Puget Sound Energy, and Microsoft said it had “half a dozen” utilities in the queue. But there’s a difference between a handful of utilities willing to connect customer data with the system, and utilities marketing the service to their customers or even using it as an opt-out system (like they do with OPower mailed energy bills). Similar to the problem with PowerMeter, when Hohm came to utilities, was it friend or foe? Microsoft’s large brand could have been seen as threatening by utilities, who want to own the relationship with their customer.

3. Early days. Again, similar to the problem with PowerMeter, it’s still early days for the market for home energy management. Hohm was launched in the summer of 2009. The Consumer Electronics Association found recently that 64 percent of consumers are unaware of electricity management programs, and 66 percent of consumers aren’t familiar with the smart grid. PG&E, which has one of the largest and most aggressive smart meter programs in the country, won’t even be rolling out phase one of its home wireless systems until next year, given some of the standards are taking awhile to work out.

4. Over-ambitious long-term plan. While Hohm had limited use in the initial steps, its end goal was very ambitious. Microsoft was trying to turn Hohm into an entire platform that brought in revenue for the company, and which would turn Hohm into an operating system for everything from electric cars, to homes, to home devices and appliances, to commercial buildings. There were four phases to Hohm, but Hohm didn’t ever seem to get out of phase 1. Adding value for consumers and utilities needed to be worked out before moving on to the next steps.

5. Opt-in, not opt-out. I said this with PowerMeter, but I’ll repeat it for Hohm. In this early stage of the market, it seems like programs that are opt-out (sent unless the customer says they don’t want it), not opt-in (only sent if the customer wants it), are the ones working. OPower has been successful largely because it connected with utilities early on, and OPower’s detailed energy bills and energy savings recommendations, are delivered to utility customers automatically. A utility is one of a few types of companies that can send its customers this type of information without getting an opt-in agreement, and the mailed OPower energy bills have a very high open rate, because they look just like a utility energy bill.

What do you think?

Hulu halts Facebook Connect after exposing user data

Hulu halts Facebook Connect after exposing user data

By Ryan Lawler Jul. 1, 2011, 12:19pm PT 4 Comments

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Updated. Hulu’s Facebook Connect integration apparently isn’t going as planned. The ability to log in is offline as of this writing, with many people reporting issues with the sign-in option earlier today. According to some, those issues led some users to be signed in to other people’s Hulu accounts, exposing their user account data in the process.

For instance, one reader explained his experience by email:

“First time I tried it was accessing my correct facebook [sic] profile, but I didn’t want it to put my last name on my hulu [sic] account and update my profile pic, so I hit cancel. When I was navigated back to hulu’s home page, I was logged in under Eddie T.’s account. I went to his profile and as soon as I realized I was seeing his personal info, I shut the browser (as I hoped someone do if they found themself in my account!)”

The reader didn’t take a screenshot then, but he tried logging in a third, at which point, he was offered the option of merging his Hulu account with the Facebook account of someone named Alexandria. That’s when he snapped this screenshot:

It’s issues like these that have apparently prompted Hulu to discontinue Facebook Connect for the time being, while it sorts the whole thing out. We’ve tried to log in through Facebook Connect on multiple browsers with little success.

We’ve reached out to Hulu, and will update this post when we get an official comment back.

Update: Mike Flacy at Audio Video Revolution has a detailed report — and screenshots! — of his experience logged in as a Hulu employee using Facebook Connect.

Update #2: Hulu has issued a public response to the Facebook Connect issue in the form of a blog post. In it, Hulu VP of Platform Technology Richard Tom notes that the disruption wasn’t caused by hacking, third-party actions or by Facebook Connect, but was due to a configuration error on Hulu’s part. Tom also noted that no one accessed Hulu systems or “highly sensitive user information such as passwords or credit card numbers.” Once the issue is fully addressed, Hulu will try rolling out Facebook Connect again, but in the meantime, it has shut down Facebook Connect capabilities and is requiring all users to log back in with their Hulu info.

Zynga S-1 reveals a savvy M&A strategy

Zynga S-1 reveals a savvy M&A strategy

By Colleen Taylor Jul. 1, 2011, 1:15pm PT No Comments

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Zynga has shown a notable uptick in acquisitions in recent months, in what turned out to be part of the buildup to the company’s planned IPO. But although much has been made of the volume and frequency of Zynga’s M&A activity, it turns out that the company did not amass the nearly $1 billion it has in cash and equivalents by opening up its wallet too widely when making buys. The S-1 Zynga filed Friday revealed exactly how savvy it has been in making all those deals.

Zynga completed seven acquisitions in 2010, according to the IPO filing. Together, the purchase prices of all those deals totaled $101.6 million; $35.2 million of that was in stock, and $66.4 million was in cash.

By far, the biggest deal Zynga made last year was its November 2010 acquisition of online mobile gaming company Newtoy, which had a purchase price of $53.3 million, most of which was cash — $44.3 million of it, to be exact. In fact, the Newtoy deal accounted for fully two-thirds of all the cash Zynga used for M&A in 2010.

It bears mention that using stock to make acquisitions is nothing unusual. In fact, many of the startups that have been acquired by Zynga may have preferred to be paid in stock. Having a piece of a very hot, pre-exit company like Zynga could well turn out to be more lucrative than the corresponding cash value at the time last year’s deals were made.

And while the volume of Zynga’s M&A activity seemed to pick up in 2011 with at least three buys in the first three months of the year, the S-1 shows that the company’s actual spending on those deals was negligible. According to the filing, Zynga spent a total of just $10.4 million on acquisitions in the first quarter of 2011.

None of this is to say Zynga is stingy in its acquisition strategy. Zynga offers acquired employees equity awards and cash bonuses that appreciate over time, as an incentive to get them to stick around post-deal. During 2010, the company issued $175.5 million worth of post-acquisition compensation awards.

Once Zynga goes public, it will probably become a bit more spendy. Public companies are expected to have full-fledged M&A strategies, and shareholders often expect a healthy amount of the firm’s annual budget to be put toward making buys. But so far, Zynga has shown a notable restraint in its M&A strategy, especially considering its size and growth. It goes to show that even in the ultra modern world of today’s tech industry, some old-fashioned ideas about saving money are still sticking around — in some circles, at least.

Image courtesy of Flickr user kenteegardin and www.seniorliving.org

Facebook reportedly taking Skype relationship further with video chat

Facebook reportedly taking Skype relationship further with video chat

By Ryan Kim Jul. 1, 2011, 1:57pm PT No Comments

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Though Facebook was ultimately not in the mix to buy Skype, the relationship is still going strong and will reportedly result in Skype’s video chat service finally coming to Facebook next week. TechCrunch reports  that Facebook’s “awesome” announcement July 6 will include word that desktop Facebook users will be able to conduct video calls via Skype.

The details are little hazy about how it all comes together and whether Facebook users will need to download the Skype client for the computer, but TechCrunch said it will be an in-browser experience for users. If true, it makes a lot of sense and is something we’ve talked about before during speculation about a potential acquisition or partnership.

Facebook has been growing as a communications service, with its unified inbox and its instant messaging service. And it has been looking to branch out with its purchase of messaging app Beluga and its commenting plugin. Integrating Skype will allow it to take the next step in interaction, which is increasingly turning to video chat. Apple has helped accelerate video chat with its FaceTime technology, and now video conferencing is becoming a crowded market.

By getting on board with Skype, Facebook can also blunt some of the advances of Google+, which has a slick group video chat feature called Hangouts. Om remarked at the Google+ launch that Hangouts could bring Skype to its knees. Combining with Facebook could help avoid that fate. It’s unclear if Skype on Facebook would include free group video chats, which is a premium feature on Skype, but it could easily be an option. Skype service could also be a big boost for Facebook’s mobile app if the service is eventually integrated.

Video chat integration would further strengthen Skype and Facebook’s relationship. Skype has added Facebook integration into its software, allowing people to instant message, tap their Facebook contacts and “like” or comment on a friend’s Facebook status. That allowed Facebook to appeal to Skype’s base, which currently numbers 170 million connected users. By getting onto Facebook’s platform and reaching its more than 700 million users, Skype can further realize its larger ambitions to be on all screens, from mobile to TV sets.

Together, they can keep users from spending time on other sites and services. This becomes more important with competition from Google, which has the potential to tie up more user time with Google+ in combination with its existing properties. With Skype now a Microsoft property, there’s additional logic to a partnership with Facebook, which Microsoft has a small stake in. Together, all three are better positioned to contain Google as it continues to grow.

We still have to see if this pans out, but again, this seems like a logical and expected step. By bringing Skype into Facebook, it lets both get what they want. And it shows that Facebook didn’t have to buy Skype to get what it needs.

Though customers are few, Windows Phone 7 hits 25,000 apps

Though customers are few, Windows Phone 7 hits 25,000 apps

By Ryan Kim Jul. 1, 2011, 9:48am PT 3 Comments

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While smartphone consumers are still taking their time to embrace Windows Phone 7, Microsoft appears to be having more luck with developers. The mobile platform has reportedly crested the 25,000 app mark for Windows Phone Marketplace, according to at least one tracker site.

WindowsPhoneAppList puts the number at 25,076 right now, slightly ahead of another app tracker WP7AppList. That’s up from an official count of 11,500 apps announced in late March. It’s a far cry from Apple’s 425,000 iOS apps and Android Market’s 200,000 apps, but it’s a pretty impressive showing for a platform that just launched in November but has struggled to convince users to sign on. Gartner estimated that Windows Phone 7 mustered just 1.6 million in estimated sales to end users in the first quarter.

The new app milestone shows that Microsoft is seeing some results from its efforts to line up developers and make it easy and attractive for them to build apps. Even without a large user base, developers are apparently getting in on the act, perhaps in anticipation of bigger things to come. WP7AppList shows that new apps spiked in late May and early June.

I originally wrote about how Microsoft opened its wallet to get some early marquee apps into Windows Phone Marketplace. I’m not sure if Microsoft is still doing so, which could be a factor. But it seems like that the growing developer momentum is due to a number of factors including rising optimism in the platform.

With Microsoft’s deal with Nokia announced in February, it puts the world’s largest phone maker behind WP7. The first WP7 phone from Nokia will appear later this year, but next year should be when we see a lot of WP7-based hardware from Nokia. That partnership has certainly won over research firms like IDC and Gartner, which expect WP7 to edge out iOS by 2015 to be the No. 2 challenger to Android.

But those projections are a ways off, and it will take time for the platform to prove itself out. The bump could also be due Microsoft’s work in courting developers. It’s put together some great resources for developers and in April, it released a set of tools for iOS developers to help them port their apps over to Windows Phone 7. Microsoft released similar tools for Android in June.

With an impressive-looking software update in Mango coming this September, it looks like WP7 is closing the gap on the competition. As I noted, it’s a solid update that helps WP7 catch up in many ways to its peers. And Mango is open for developers, as of this week.

Microsoft understands it’s about building ecosystems and that’s why Nokia felt it needed to pair with WP7, to erect a third ecosystem that could challenge iOS and Android. WP7 has gotten off to a slow start with consumer adoption, and Microsoft still needs to sell phones and show there’s money to be made on the WP7 platform.

App submissions won’t continue to grow if no one’s buying the phones. But Microsoft seems to be playing with an eye toward the long view, and that definitely includes making sure it’s got ample developer support to ensure the platform remains attractive to users. Research In Motion and HP should take note, because getting developer support is increasingly a key part of the success of a platform.

HTC Evo 4G Review

With a whole range of 4G phones appearing on the market to utilize the new 4G networks, there is agreat demand for high quality phones that can deliver versatility along side more traditional cell phone features such as good call quality and easy text messaging. The HTC Evo 4G is the latest phone from the highly established and respected phone manufacturer HTC, who have a reputation for building high quality and cutting edge phones at a lower price point than several of their competitors.

Appearance:

The HTC Evo 4G takes modern styling and touch screen technology to utilize a larges creen without sacrificing space for a traditional number pad or keyboard. While this may not be a positive for everyone the 4.3 inch WVGA multi touch screen generates an impressive image and mobile media platform. Weighing in at only 6 oz it is a portable media center that will fit in your pocket without weighing you down and feeling cumbersome.

Technical specification:

The HTC Evo 4G uses cutting edge technology also utilized by other modern phones currently being released, such as a 1GZ Qualcomm processor, 512MB RAM and the Android 2.1 operating system that is rapidly becoming one of the most trusted and rapidly expanding user base due to its extensive app store. Through the use of Android apps you will be able to customize your phone to do everything you can dream of and with new apps being released every day the possibilities are limitless. The processing speed and memory will ensure that all your mobile apps willrun smoothly and as intended by the developer, menu browsing is sleek and smooth and the 4.3 inch screen is utilized for a range of multimedia functions, allowing you to view movies in stunningly high resolution. The built in camera in the HTC Evo 4G can capture true HD video, that can then be viewed on a HD television set through the HDMI output on the phone.

Disadvantages:

Unfortunately the main limitation of the HTC Evo 4G don't come from the phone itself, but more from the network that it is limited to, the Sprint 4G network. The network is very limited at this time as 4G technology is still in its infancy, however with the popularity of 4G, we can expect this to change overthe coming months as all the major networks seek to increase their 4G networks in order to provide the service that is currently being demanded by tech savvy customers. The HTC Evo 4G also lacks the ability to perform bluetooth voice activated dialing, while not a feature many use, it is still a useful feature for people who wish to use their phones while driving, hands free! While using 4G the battery life of the HTC Evo 4G is also somewhat limited. This can be expected to improve as 4G technology moves on infuture models, as the same problem occurred in the early days of 3G technology. The low battery life is also an unfortunate side effect of having such a large bright screen and high technical specs, all of which require a higher amount of battery power to run at full capacity.

The Verdict:

Overall the HTC Evo 4G is a strong competitor to any cell phone on the market at this time. While it may not be enough to draw people away from the existing cell phone giants, loyal HTC customers will find this a great upgrade and allow them to get a feel for the next generation of mobile internet technology, assuming they live in an area covered by Sprint's 4G network! Fortunately the HTC Evo 4G is backwards compatible with 3G networks, so even if you stray outside of an area covered by 4G, there is a good chance that you will maintain 3G coverage, which for the majority of user requirements will be sufficient not to cause a significant inconvenience. 4G really comes into its own when you are downloading large media files, such as movies and this is what the HTC Evo 4G was made for and does extremely well. While watching a movie on a phone is never as good as watching it on a large flatscreen, for when you are travelling the HTC Evo 4G is about as good as it gets for media playback.

The New Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Compared With The Great LG Optimus One

Sony Ericsson are quite often very hit and miss with their mobile handsets. Some of their large screen efforts over the past two years have failed to live up to expectations but on the flip side of the coin the brand have tended to produce some superb quality compact phones. It is in this category that the Xperia Mini falls, a phone which looks great and will appeal to the consumer who wants all the features associated with larger phones but in a smaller package. Another brand that scores highly when it comes to design is LG so we put their Optimus One handset up against the Xperia to see which model comes out on top.

Unfortunately for LG there is quite often an exception to the rule and whereas most of their handsets ooze style the Optimus One sadly looks a little dated. This is not to say that it is an ugly phone because it is not, it just looks like it has past its sell by date. The rounded edges employed by the developers work well on large screen devices but on these smaller models tend to make them look like any budget phone released over the past three years. This is all in stark contrast to the gorgeous looking Xperia Mini. Sony have mixed more of an angular design in with the curves to give the handset a very modern appearance and by weighing in at just 88 grammes it is one of the most lightweight phones you are likely to lay your hands on. Another pleasing aspect of the Xperia Mini is that it will be released in a range of colours which only adds to the appeal and gives the consumer a little bit more variety to choose from. Putting the design flaws of the LG to one side for a moment it is pleasing to note that other areas of the phone work very well. The screen measures in at 3.2 inches together with an overall resolution of 320 x 480 pixels. Despite being larger than the 2.55 inches on the Sony Ericsson when you break down the resolutions the LG actually offer a higher DPI at 180 which together with its multi touch facilities means that it outshines the Sony in this department.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini incorporates exactly the same set of chips as the LG Optimus one so in terms of performance there is nothing to choose between these two models. Both units use a 600 MHZ ARM 11 processor which is accompanied by an Andreno 200 graphics processing unit. Where there is more of a difference is when it comes down to the cameras that are fitted in both of the models. The LG sports a facility capable of capturing a 3.15 mega pixel image. This is adequate for a quick snap or to capture the moment but the light is less than perfect or you require more detail in the shot then this camera proves less than impressive. The Xperia Mini on the other hands is another matter entirely. Its 5 mega pixel camera offers a great standard of photograph which is aided by the presence of autofocus, and led flash and geo tagging facilities.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini just edges ahead of the LG Optimus One in this battle. Neither handset boasts jaw dropping specification but their combination of compact design together with some great smartphone features means there will always be a place in the market for models such as this.

A Look Around The Features Of The Nokia N9

Nokia have recently released details of a forthcoming handset that is likely to grab the attention of both industry experts and consumers thanks to its eye catching looks together with its innovative new operating system. This new OS does not signify the end of the renowned Symbian platform that is present on many of the brands models but it does show a change in direction in a bid to appeal to a broader spectrum of consumers. So what can we expect from the exciting new Nokia N9?

Nokia have opted to fit a 3.9 inch display in this model which is quite an unusual size given that many current phones offer either a 3.7 inch or a 4 inch variety. The sizing is just about right giving a large enough screen to make the device perfect for video playback and gaming whilst remaining small enough to appeal to the person looking for a relatively compact handset. The overall resolution of the screen measures 480 x 854 which is just above the industry standard and enables the N9 to give remarkable clarity on all types of material. Some of this quality can be attributed to the technology used on the display which is the very latest AMOLED variety. This screen gives great viewing angles even in sunlight and colours maintain a natural sense of depth. There is a remarkably thin border surrounding the screen which means that the phones overall measurements are a sleek 116.5 x 61.2 x 12.1mm coupled with the weight which is fairly average at 135 grammes. The phone totally lacks buttons on the front meaning the screen totally dominates. Around the sides of the phone there are a few buttons which include a lock key, a camera and a volume button.

The Nokia N9 really does excel in the multimedia department just like many of the more recent releases by the brand. One of the key factors behind their excellence in the phone camera performance is not only the high resolution on offer but also the excellent optics that are used which are what many experts say is the main reason behind the great quality. The variety that are used here are manufactured by Carl Zeiss and are generally regarded as some of the best available. Nokia have reigned back the resolution from the 12 mega pixels that were present on the N8 model to 8 million on this model. This still gives enough quality to produce a superb quality of image. Video capture facilities are also present and this impresses equally as much thanks to the 720P quality together with an ability to capture 30 frames per second.

The Nokia N9 looks destined to prove a hugely successful handset. The MeeGo OS is a refreshing change whilst the phone itself is packed with specification of the very highest quality.

An Overview of The Versatile Nokia X7

The Nokia X7 is one of the Finnish manufacturer's latest smartphones to be released, and looks like the ideal device for multimedia enthusiasts. With an advanced touchscreen, 8 megapixel camera, comprehensive multimedia compatibility and heaps of internal storage, it ticks all the boxes.

As well as the features mentioned above, one of the more interesting points about this model is its impressive styling. It looks like no other phone currently available, with unique styling. Angular corners give a modern appearance, whilst hiding a set of stereo speakers beneath an attractive grill casing, with the stainless steel construction oozing build quality and sophisticated style.

The screen on the Nokia X7 is somewhat larger than that of the Nokia N8, at a sizeable 4 inches. This makes it the perfect device for tasks such as gaming, internet browsing, and viewing media files such as photos and video clips. This is also the case thanks to its impressive resolution. At 360x 640, the size of the screen does not mean it sacrifices display quality. The AMOLED capacitive touchscreen is also highly responsive and displays up to 16 million colours for a richer multimedia experience.

As you would expect of any smartphone, internet browsing is integral to the functionality of the Nokia X7. In areas where a 3G connection is available, an HSDPA connection allows users to download data at a rate of 10.2 Mbps, which is faster than many competing handsets. For an even better browsing experience, Wi-Fi can also be utilised where available, for faster and more reliable web browsing, which is also ideal if you are on a limited data plan; as the connection is free of charge.

Nokia have long been a renowned manufacturer of quality cameraphones, and the Nokia X7 is no different. Boasting 8 megapixels and a resolution of 3264x 2448, users are assured of top quality photos, as well as video footage thanks to the camera's ability to shoot high definition (720p) footage.

The latest and maybe the final version of the Symbian OS, known as Anna allows the device to run its applications, with a relatively powerful 680 MHz processor providing the necessary computing power. On paper this may seem a far cry from the dual-core processors found in more recent smartphones. But in reality it still provides a great user experience, delivering good performance in terms of the touch screen response time, and fast web browsing along with the other areas which rely on the power of the processor.

As you may also expect, the Nokia X7 also comes with comprehensive multimedia compatibility, supporting numerous music and video file formats as well as several built in games and even Flash support for a richer web browsing experience.

All in all, the Nokia X7 offers everything you could ever need in a smartphone. It may not be the most advanced on paper, but it offers a great user experience, with stylish aesthetics as an added bonus.

What if we are part of the voiceless community?

I hate hypocrites… especially when they’re journalists.

I’ve been a bit disappointed with how some journalists have been writing about Jose Antonio Vargas‘ recent announcement that he is an undocumented immigrant. Many are questioning Vargas’ journalistic credibility because he had to hide his immigration status.

As if journalists – including columnists and editors – have never lied before or broken any laws. (Just think about your college years.)

Like the communities we cover, newsrooms are filled with sinners and saints… perfectly flawed human beings.

But lies have different degrees, don’t they?

It wasn’t long ago that people had to hide, or lie about, being gay. They had to conceal a part of their true identities to avoid discrimination or to get a job, including one as a reporter.

While they felt forced to hide a part of themselves, something tells me they still made strong journalists and did not lie in their reporting.

If I recall correctly, when the gay marriage issue erupted in San Francisco, The Chronicle pulled a gay photographer off the story because editors assumed a conflict of interest. What Chronicle editors failed to note is that straight people also have opinions about gay marriage that may also pose a conflict of interest.

The bottom line is, as far as I know, Vargas never lied in his stories. And just because he had to hide about being part of a certain community, it doesn’t automatically nullify his journalistic credibility or achievements.

Being a part of a community does not disqualify him as a journalist.

Just like Diane Sawyer, for example, isn’t disqualified as a journalist because she worked in Republican Party politics before, during and after President Nixon’s administration and subsequent resignation. Same as George Stephanopoulos isn’t disqualified after working for President Clinton’s administration.

They are just two of many examples.

What has bothered me the most, really, is how journalists are treating Vargas as “other” … as if his reality is not a common one. As if undocumented immigrants, or illegal aliens or whatever label you use, aren’t part of our communities.

We are all made up of different communities, and these often are the same communities we attempt to cover through our journalism. Some communities we praise, others we tolerate and others go unacknowledged.

I, like many others, believe that a diverse newsroom – comprised of different communities – makes for stronger, more relevant journalism. But the sad reality is that not all communities are seen as equal – or as newsworthy.

Our job is to give voice to the voiceless… but what happens if we are part of the voiceless community?

That’s the position Vargas found himself in. And he, like others from different communities before him, decided to come out and remind people the “other” is really a part of “us.”

About a year ago, I actually wrote a post about this topic, but under advisement from my closest editor I deleted it.

The post was inspired by Harvey Milk‘s powerful message: “You must come out” to give a real face to a community that is under attack. This was around the time of Arizona’s SB1070 bill.

My editor thought my post could be taken out of context and hurt my career.

I don’t know how these words will be taken… and quite frankly, I’ve debated whether or not I should ever publish them… but I hope my editor is not right.

In light of Vargas’ story – one that took more courage to share than my story – I feel that I am obligated to share my experience.

Allow me, however, to frame the reason why I am sharing my story now:

I’m not asking for any political action. (Don’t call me an activist.)

I’m not trying to ride Vargas’ coattails. (Don’t call me a poser.)

I’m writing this because as journalists we can’t afford to forget that we are part of the “other” … that good journalism is truly inclusive.

I, like everyone else, am part of multiple communities: I am a father, a husband, a renter (former homeowner), college graduate, an educator, a Roman Catholic (but I often disagree with the church) and the son of immigrants from El Salvador.

While my mother entered the country by plane with the right papers, my father entered by crossing the border illegally in the 70s.

He quickly became a U.S. citizen.

But let’s be honest here, the act of an immigrant crossing the border without the right papers in pursuit of a better life often overshadows their accomplishments as legal citizens.

To clarify, I was born a U.S. citizen. But all my success as a person and as a journalist, I owe to my immigrant parents.

My father, like millions of other immigrants, reflects the story of America – whether we want to admit it or not. Coming to this land (by any means necessary) with nothing, working [expletive] hard and making a better life for himself and his family.

For the record, my father graduated at the top of his high school class in El Salvador, which earned him a scholarship to Germany. He worked there, but giving into the request from my mother’s family, he moved to the United States after marrying her.

My father ran several small businesses and was a homeowner for more than 40 years. He lost them in the bad economy, but had relaunched his auto repair shop early last year. He passed away in November and the outpouring of support from the local community was a true testament to his accomplishments. That man helped so many people… I had no idea.

My mother struggled and worked hard in her own immigrant story. She made a small living by cleaning houses and other service jobs, including working at the food court of Cal State University, Northridge. She joined my father as an entrepreneur until they separated.

I can tell you more about their story, but let me just say this: “Their” story is part of “my” story. And “my story” is part of “our” community. And all of that is part of journalism. To shun someone, even a journalist, for owning their story, their community, is bad journalism.

If you invalidate Vargas as a journalist for being an illegal immigrant, you are a journalist in denial thinking that he is not part of your community (the one you are trying to cover).

Again I ask: Our job is to give voice to the voiceless… but what if we are part of the voiceless community?

If you are part of a community that is being attacked or politicized, as a journalist it takes courage to step forward and speak up, not as an activist… but as someone who wants facts to prevail. Not talking points.

I applaud Vargas for his courage. He’s a reminder that the “other” is really within “us.”

Robert Hernandez is a Web Journalism professor at USC Annenberg and co-creator of #wjchat, a weekly chat for Web Journalists held on Twitter. You can contact him by e-mail (r.hernandez@usc.edu) or through Twitter (@webjournalist). Yes, he's a tech/journo geek.

The Impressive Sony Ericsson Mini - An Introduction

The Sony Ericsson Mini is a great new compact device which offers full Android smartphone functionality within a compact handset, as the name suggests. Most new smartphones seem to be getting bigger, but Sony Ericsson realise there are still people who favour a more compact phone.

In this article I will take a look at some of the key features of the Sony Ericsson Mini so you can decide if it is the right smartphone for you.

The compact handset measures just 88x 52x 16mm, the front of which is dominated by the 3 inch LED-backlit LCD capacitive touchscreen. The screen itself is impressive with a resolution of 320x 480 which has superb display quality, and is able to display up to 16 million individual colours, making it a great phone for multimedia use. The screen also has the manufacturer's BRAVIA mobile engine buolt in, which calls upon Sony's experience as a TV manufacturer, and enhances the display quality een further.

Onboard storage is 320MB, but there is a microSD slot built in which comes with a pre-installed 2 GB memory card. Users have the option of replacing this with a card of upto 32 GB, and by doing so storage is unlikely to ever be a problem. This feature also makes it good for multimedia use as music tracks, video files and games etc can be stored within the device.

As with any smartphone the Sony Ericsson Mini offers fast internet browsing, through both 3G connectivity and Wi-Fi where available. In areas with 3G coverage, download rates are a respectable 7.2 Mbps, whilst a superior connection is achieved where Wi-Fi is available.

The Sony Ericsson Mini is also a highly competent cameraphone with a 5 megapixel offering on hand to take high quality snapshots. It comes with several image enhancing features such as image stabilization, smile and face recognition and auto-focus as well as geo-tagging. A resolution of 2592x 1944 means the resulting images are of very good quality and as added bonus users can also shoot high definition video footage in 720p.

On the software side of things, the Sony Ericsson Mini runs Android 2.3 as its operating system of choice. This is the latest version of the increasingly popular software and comes with numerous handy features as well as the standard Google web tools features on all Android handsets; Search, Maps, Gmail, GTalk etc. To provide the necessary computing power, a 1 GHz processor is on hand to help things run smoothly under the hood.

All in all the Sony Ericsson has it all. If you prefer a smaller mobile phone but don't want to sacrifice functionality for size, then this is simply the perfect device. It has all the features of many larger smartphones and is able to handle just about any task you throw at it.

We Compare The New Sony Xperia Mini With The Samsung Galaxy Mini

When it comes to compact smartphones Sony Ericsson are a manufacturer who really seem to excel in this area of the market. With larger screened devices the brand has acheived somewhat varied success yet with the smaller phones the models are of a consistently great standard. The latest handset they have released is the Xperia Mini, an update from last years Xperia X10 Mini Device. There is new competition in this area however in the form of the Samsung Galaxy Mini which is part of the Korean firms popular Galaxy range of models. So which compact phone comes out on top when we compare these two excellent little models?

Traditionally compact mobile phones lose a little of the style that their larger counterparts boast but the Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini is refreshing in that it actually stands out and takes on a whole new identity of its own. The phone boasts an attractive blend of sharp angles and neat curves that keep it looking both modern and expensive. The Galaxy Mini is also an appealing handset but certainly not as instantly eye catching as the Sony Ericsson. The phone is much more curvy in its design and can almost be described as pebble like in terms of its appearance. These two phones are both very lightweight with the Sony weighing in at a tiny 88 grammes which is a full 18 grammes less than the Samsung. Despite this impressive figure the phone is still not the slimmest at 16mm which is 4mm thicker than the Galaxy Mini. The Sony certainly comes out on top in the design department just as it does when we take a look at the screens on both devices. Despite sporting the larger of the two screens the resolution on the Samsung means that when you break the figures down to a dots per inch rating the figure is just 127 rather than the impressive 156 that Sony Ericsson pack into their 2.55 inch display.

Both the Samsung Galaxy Mini and the Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini use relatively high powered 600Mhz processors within their small frames. Of the two devices the Xperia Mini sports superior performance thanks to the excellent Qualcomm MSM7227 chip that used. The Samsung Galaxy Mini is still incredibly snappy and it is doubtful whether anybody could question the phones performance. Where the Galaxy does make up some lost ground however is when it comes to to operating systems. Boasting the Android 2.2 platform the phones developers have promised that it can be updated to 2.3 together with the improved graphics and enhanced multitasking facilities. The Xperia Mini uses only Android 2.1 Eclair with no option to update so in this area Samsung seem to be well on top.

Undoubtedly these are two of the better compact handsets available but the Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini comes out on top in this dual. It is a shame however about the operating system because if Sony could just match the Samsung in this department then we may well be looking at the best phone of its kind ever released.

Samsung Turn Their Attention To Netbooks With The New Chromebook Device

Having established great success in the UK tablet market with their Galaxy Tab devices Korean manufacturer Samsung are turning their attention to the neglected netbook sector with the release of the exciting new Chromebook. This new device not only offers some superb specification but also sports a brand new operating system in the form of Google Chrome OS. Unlike traditional laptops that access functions stored on the computer itself this new OS is designed to access features and functions stored in a "Cloud" system via its internet connection. This certainly look like the way the market is moving considering that Windows are also due to release system that operates in a similar manner.

Anybody who has used Google Chrome as a web browser will be familiar with just how simple the interface is. Rather than sporting a traditional desktop the Chromebooks main screen will be the Chrome homepage. From here not only will the user be able to gain instant internet access but also access to their material stored via the cloud system. The interface certainly looks great and this is thanks to the gorgeous screen that this device employs. Measuring 12.1 inches it is perfectly poised to offer more portability than the traditional laptop whilst offering larger sizers than the numerous Tablet systems available. The screen uses the very latest anti reflective and anti glare materials so it is perfectly usable in all manner of conditions including outdoors in sunlight. The display also boasts a 300nit brightness rating which gives all material a vibrant and vivid appearance.

The new Samsung Chromebook boasts an excellent chipset designed to make the device effortlessly handle all manner of tasks. The main driving force behind this is the 1.66Ghz processor which is manufactured by market leaders Intel. This Atom N570 chip brings Hyper Threading to the device which basically means more efficient multi tasking. In addition to this the processor boasts superb power management which in turn places less strain on the battery. The result is a battery life expectancy of around 8.5 hours of usage which is far superior to many similar units that are available. The Chromebook also beats many of its netbook competitors when it comes to internally memory where 2GB is offered rather than the 1Gb which has pretty much become the industry standard.

The popularity of Google Chrome as a browser together with Samsungs launch of this impressive new device should ensure that the Chromebook becomes a hit with consumers when it eventually hits the shelves. The device looks superb and offers specification that far exceeds what many equivalent models can offer.

A Closer Look At What You Can Expect From The Samsung Chromebook

No longer is the name Google only associated with internet search engines as the company has taken great strides in several areas of the home technology market in the last couple of years. Millions of people are currently using a mobile phone that runs on the Google Android operating system whilst the popularity of the Google Chrome web browsers has been huge over the last two years with there now being over 60 million wordwide users. Google have now turned their attention to the netbook sector of the market by introducing the Chromebook, a device which unlike a laptop relies upon cloud based services rather than internal storage. So what does this exciting new product offer the user?

The Chromebook is a device that is optimised for web usage. Statistics show that this is where the majority of the computer users time is spent so this device basically simplifies and speeds up this side of affairs. The first major difference between this device and your traditional laptiop is the speed that the machine boots up. Samsung state that the Chromebook will be usable just 8 seconds after it is switched on. Many older machines running operating systems such as Windows Vista take around one minute and even some of the super fast iMacs can take around double the time of the Chromebook. The obvious advantage of this is you need not waste time waiting for you computer, it is on hand as and when you require it. If the system is just in sleep mode then the resume time is instant. Just like many modern mobile phones the device not only boasts WiFi connectivity but also a 3G connection so even if you are away from a local network you can still use a cellular data network to achieve a fast connection to the web.

Perhaps the biggest difference between traditional computer systems and the Samsung Chromebook is the use of the cloud system rather than internal storage. This means that all of your documents, applications and settings are stored in the cloud. The advantage of this is that you can gain access to all of your data even if you lose your Chromebook or it if it ceases working. It is also a great system if you wish to use multiple terminals as you will be faced with the same set up every time. I mentioned applications earlier and that is a very big part of how Google and Samsung want you to use this device. Rather than purchasing programs for various tasks you will now have the option of downloading applications similar to what you are offered on mobile phones. This is often a much more simple way of achieving your desired results. Applications are available for a multitude of uses from photo editing to spreadsheets and they all use the new HTML5 coding that enables them to continue working even at those rare moments when you are not connected to the net.

The Samsung Chromebook looks destined to have the same dramatic effect on the home computer market that Tablet devices such as the iPad have had over the last two years.

The limits of free speech?

Journalists are supposed to defend the freedom of speech, no matter what, right?

But what happens when someone asks us to defend the right of someone to advocate taking our rights away? What then?

An ESPN.com column last week illustrated why someone's free exercise of speech shouldn't always be celebrated by journalists.

ESPN's Jemele Hill offered a defense of professional football player David Tyree, who campaigned against marriage equality in advance of last week's vote in New York State approving the right of gays and lesbians to marry.

"Tyree's comments have, predictably, generated two reactions: disdain and ridicule," Hill wrote. "I'm going to try a different reaction: acceptance."

Hill never endorses Tyree's position, but she does criticize his critics.

"Tyree is being depicted as an uninformed religious zealot, but at least he's up-front. He helped deliver thousands of petitions against the same-sex marriage bill and joined the National Organization for Marriage at a recent news conference in Albany," she wrote.

"That doesn't sound like someone who is crazy. Rather, it sounds like someone who isn't going to back down from what he believes."

Fair enough. But I don't believe that responsible writers, including Hill, should spend their time with their audiences defending individuals who work to deny rights to others.

The debate over the freedom to marry is a different type of issue than whether to balance the budget by raising taxes or cutting services. Or whether the city or the team should pay for the new local sports arena. This is about whether people are going to have a right, not what they choose to do with it.

Hill references Tyree's religious motivation for his position. Since Hill raised the topic of religion, I'll bring up my religious motivation in writing about this issue.

My religion - Unitarian Universalism - strongly defends the freedom to marry for all people, regardless of sexual orientation. But that's not my primary motivation here. It's something that the former minister at my church told me several years ago:

"The only thing we can't tolerate is intolerance."

An absolutist defense of tolerance becomes an intellectual trap. Tolerate everything, and you must tolerate the efforts of your opponents to silence you, to isolate you, and ultimately to disempower you. Opponents of various rights have grown wise to the irony, and attempted to use it to undermine the rights of others. In this example, Hill effectively argues for accepting Tyree's religious freedom... which he cites to deny marriage rights to gays and lesbians.

Sorry, but while my religion promotes tolerance, I can't tolerate intolerance.

Now, if Tyree's critics were arguing that the football player should not have the legal right to campaign against marriage equality, I'd stand with Hill. Or if Tyree and his allies were objecting to the New York law forcing their religious leaders to perform ceremonies contrary to their faith, I'd stand with them, too.

But the New York law does not do that; it explicitly exempts religious leaders from any liability from refusing to perform a marriage ceremony that their faith will not permit them to endorse. Nor has anyone that I've found declared that Tyree and other marriage equality opponents should not have the legal right to campaign, to debate and to witness their views.

Tyree's foes have, as Hill illustrated, called him a bigot and a jerk. That's fair game, in my view. While Tyree and his allies have, and should have, the legal right to organize, speak and campaign against the rights of others, the rest of us are under no moral or ethical obligation to remain quiet and accept their intolerance without offering our criticism in response.

Tolerance is part of my faith. It is part of my professional ethic. But I won't allow others to use that tolerance as a weapon against me or against people fighting for the same rights that others enjoy. Nor do I feel like letting a high-profile writer in a popular forum excuse such an attempt without responding to that.

As we continue into the Internet era, millions more voices are joining our global chorus. Collectively, we're eventually going to come to some equilibrium, some consensus about how we're all going to engage in conversation online. While I hope that our legal standards continue to protect the rights of all to advocate even the most obnoxious positions, I also hope that our personal standards never grow so lax that we feel like we must accept, without criticism, those who would deny our rights, or the rights of others.

Want to write about David Tyree? Fine. Write about his role in one of the greatest plays in Super Bowl history, if you have something fresh to say about that. But don't waste your audience's valuable time writing about his opposition to the freedom to marry. Unless you're going to take the opportunity to stand with his critics.

Because the one thing we shouldn't tolerate is intolerance.

Misuse of Cell Phone Among Teenagers

How time has changed. A decade ago, it was rare to see a teenager walk down the street chatting on a cell phone. Now they're everywhere. According to those children who have a cell phone, it is a status symbol for them among the others. At the present, the numbers of teens with cell phones have grown to the point that they account for the majority of the world's mobile phone users. And this brings us a whole new set of problems. As long as it has negative influence on youth.

It is alarming that the price of basic commodities are increasing day-by-day, but it is strange that cell phone connections are free, unlimited SMS packages, free call minutes given at very low price.

As more and more parents are looking for the added convenience of being able to stay in contact with their kids at all times, the numbers increased. While most people can appreciate the reasoning for giving a teenager a cell phone for safety or security reasons, but the numbers are so vivid that it has left a strong and negative impact on us all. In united state alone, over 20% of fatal car crashes involving teenagers drivers were the result of cell phone use. This continues to grow, and similar statistics are occurring in other parts of word, as well.

Parents usually provide cell phones to their children to keep track in schools and for better communication with them. But they do not monitor that their children may misuse this facility and keep chatting, sending messages, etc, thus harming their studies and careers. Nowadays messaging on cell phones has become a part of lifestyle by most teenagers. They are innocent and cannot visualize its bad effects at this stage. A few boys and girls manage to talk for hours on, even till late night at home. Tons of text messages are being sent from students during class rooms. Due to the fact that some messages are being sent during tests, and most of all the modern cell phone with the functionalities of internet, the probability that a student may try to cheat on exams becomes quite great. This can create serious social problems.

Is there anything a parent can do to protect their children? Yes, they can, by monitoring their children and their activities. Educate your kids on the responsibilities of the cell phone use. Let them know what is acceptable and unacceptable.

Apple iPad 2 16GB 3G Wi-Fi Tablet Specification

Apple Tablets graded as the most advanced and highly acknowledged system being offered in the market. Counted among the list is the affordable Apple iPad 16GB Wi-Fi price that has added worth to this simple yet high performing Tablet PC.

Apple iPad has been considered as the most advanced and sleek tablet Pc that adds to computing of a user. Counted among the list is the affordable Apple iPad 16GB Wi-Fi price that has added worth to this simple yet high performing Tablet PC. This free iPad 16 GB Wi-Fi is counted over as latest eye candy in the market. Equipped with a number of features, this latest handset can be availed at a very reasonable price.

As well-known, mobile phones are graded as the most important gadgets required for day to day activity. This is thus, a perfect device to survive in this highly competitive market. It has made many to get their computing need fulfilled on the go without bothering much about the connection availability. With its help, you can stay in touch with your near and dear ones no matter which part of the world you are in.

The new Apple iPad 2 16GB 3G Wi-FiTablet has delivered best mobile phone deal that I supported by renowned network carriers like O2, Orange, T-Mobile, Vodafone etc. Further, with the deal you can also get the provisional deals for forthcoming devices. The high tech gadget has certainly comes at the cost of a handset that form the key attraction in its purchase.

When we talk of looks, Apple iPad can be described as an ultra-thin, light, and ultra-sleek designed model. Some other models available in these iPads are Apple iPad Tablet 2 Wi-Fi, Apple iPad Tablet 2 Wi-Fi 3G, and lots more. It is quite easy own this device as it will surely suit your pocket. The luxury, technical configurations, performance, and elegance that are being offered by Apple iPad price are really worthwhile. This device is easily accessible on internet. Apple iPad Tablet 16GB 3G Wi-Fi and is graded as one among the highly-featured Tablet PC phones. It will help you get that even dreamy of fast internet services, emails, photo and video capturing. All its functioning is set empowered with Apple operating system X and offers outstanding performance that is new to experience. Enjoy long hours of calling and functioning on its 9.7inches Touch-sensitive capacitive screen Apple Tablets graded as the most advanced and highly acknowledged system being offered in the market. This Tablet pc is on among the best possible examples that have sleek and slim design with Olephobic coating (finger print resistant).

Book industry balance continues to tilt towards the author

Book industry balance continues to tilt towards the author

By Mathew Ingram Jul. 1, 2011, 3:01pm PT 1 Comment

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Every week, it seems there is more evidence that the balance of power in the book industry continues to tilt towards the author and away from the all-powerful publisher. One of the latest examples is John Green, who writes fiction for young adults from his home in Indianapolis, and whose latest novel has hit number one before it has even been published. Green gives credit for this phenomenon to his Twitter and YouTube followers, but the real credit should go to him for being willing to not just use social media as a promotional tool the way some do, but to actually reach out and engage with his readers and fans.

As the Wall Street Journal  describes it, Green simply posted the title of his new book — a story about two young cancer patients called “The Fault In Our Stars” on his Twitter account — where he has built up a following of more than a million fans — and on his Tumblr blog, as well as a community forum based around Green’s work called YourPants.org. He then offered to sign the entire first print run of the book, and later followed that up with a live YouTube show, in which he discussed his plans for the book and read from a chapter of the uncompleted novel.

The whole process started on Tuesday afternoon, and by that evening, the book had apparently hit the number one spot on both the Amazon list of bestsellers and the Barnes & Noble list. Not surprisingly, this kind of word-of-mouth marketing multiplied by the force of social media has caused a lot of raised eyebrows in the industry. As one senior editor at publisher Harper Collins told the Journal:

Everyone is now focused on it, because when it works, it can be a runaway train

Obviously, not everyone is going to have the million-plus followers that Green has, or the devoted following on YouTube that he and his brother Hank have built up over years of doing what used to be called “vlogging” or video-blogging. The two have also created a couple of thriving communities of online fans such as Nerdfighters and YourPants, which are very similar in some ways to the communities that other artists such as Ze Frank have been able to create around their work (PDF link). The point is that no publisher or agent or industry had to create those things; the author did it himself with help from his fans.

Green is just one of the new authors changing the rules in the book business in unpredictable ways. Although he is still represented by a traditional publisher (a unit of Penguin Group), the kind of following he has been able to gather through social media gives him enough clout that he could easily decide to publish on his own, as author Barry Eisler recently decided to do, turning down a $500,000 advance after years of publishing through a traditional agency relationship. JA Konrath is another author who has argued that more writers should pursue the self-publishing route because it gives them more control.

Amanda Hocking is another example that many point to of how authors can become powerful entities in their own right, while controlling their own fate: Although she recently signed a $2-million publishing contract, her ability to negotiate that kind of deal was a direct result of the incredible success she had self-publishing her own young-adult fiction through the Kindle publishing platform, with many of her books selling for as little as 99 cents. In less than a year, Hocking was able to rack up more than $2 million in sales, without any help from the traditional publishing industry at all.

And Amazon’s Kindle isn’t the only non-traditional outlet for authors. Startups such as Byliner are also carving out new niches in the space between the novel and the magazine-length feature, as are sites such as Long Reads and another startup called The Atavist that focuses on publishing long-form nonfiction.

Some feel that authors like Green are “outliers,” or exceptions to the rule, and that just because they can marshal an army of millions of Twitter followers doesn’t mean others can. The publishing industry, these critics say, is becoming more and more like the pop-music business, which focuses its attention on a few million-selling mega-stars — the book equivalent of Brittany Spears or Justin Bieber — while ignoring the bulk of writing that occurs outside the spotlight, where authors don’t get access to the publicity machine.

That may be true, and it may be that not every author can become John Green or Amanda Hocking. But that doesn’t change the fact that the same tools that these authors have used, whether it’s Twitter or YouTube or the Kindle Singles publishing platform and 99-cent books, are available to anyone who wants to use them. In a lot of ways, this takes more effort than simply signing with an agent and then complaining when the publisher doesn’t promote your novel properly and your sales tank — but at the same time, it gives authors more power to affect their own future, and create their own success.

Post and thumbnail photos courtesy of Flickr users Jeremy Mates and marya

Patch is the news industry's problem, not its solution

Jack Shafer's right: hyperlocal efforts are "a complete waste of time and resources" as he suggested this week in Slate.

Shafer missed one crucial qualifier in his hypothesis, though. Hyperlocal's a waste of time and money for national corporations. What's happening in the news industry today is not the Internet destroying the news industry by spreading free content. It's the Internet destroying the national news chain by eliminating of the traditional economies of scale for the news industry.

Shafer bases his arguments on continued criticisms of AOL's Patch.com network. Hey, I teed off on Patch nearly a year ago, so I share the skepticism. But Shafer errs in not even mentioning locally-owned and operated hyperlocal news sites, much less contrasting them with the top-down, corporate-driven AOL/Patch model for hyperlocal coverage.

In Shafer's piece, the alternative to Patch are sites such as Facebook, social networks where residents in a community can get what Shafer calls "social news" about their "interests," as opposed to "hyperlocal news": "the starving-artists exhibition at the farmer's market, increasing parking-meter rates, the city budget, local real estate prices."

But there's an alternative to corporate news chains and corporate social networks: homegrown news communities run by local journalists. That's a model we're encouraging by training dozens of journalist/entrepreneurs in our annual KDMC News Entrepreneur Boot Camps. Freed from the burden of paying for a national management team and Wall Street expectations, local journalists can make hyperlocal pay in ways that big companies such as AOL simply can't.

National news chains arose because the barriers of entry to printing, promoting and distributing a newspaper were so high. You needed printing presses, trucks, a telemarketing team, and an advertising and promotions budget. Oh yeah, you needed content, too, which meant hiring reporters and paying syndication fees for state, national and international news and features.

Corporations brought a load of capital to the table, and could leverage economies of scale in the purchase of newsprint, equipment and syndication deals. The could employ national sales staffs to sell ads across communities to regional and national chain retailers. And they could centralize telemarketing, IT support and even newspaper (and later website) design.

Over time, more and more locally owned papers sold out to the chains, as the chains amassed vast fortunes to buy out family-owned papers where the next generation decided to cash in rather than fight on alone in a consolidating industry.

But in the late 1990s, the Internet blew all those advantages away. One journalist could publish to an entire community, or the entire world, without having to pay for presses, trucks or newsprint. One journalist could link to all the state, national and international news and features his or her readers wanted, without having to pay for expensive syndication rights. One journalist could leverage social networks (even before Facebook and Twitter) to publicize his or her work, without having to pay for advertising or a promotion team. Open source and online instant publishing solutions allowed that individual journalist to create and manage interactive news without having to pay for huge IT and design teams. And national ad networks such as Google's AdSense gave independent publishers who were savvy enough to make that system work access to lucrative national ad buys.

So corporate news chains have lost all the economies of scale that allowed them to pay for ever-more-expensive multiple layers of management, multi-million-dollar executive bonuses and Wall Street dividends and profit growth.

Is it any wonder then, why corporate news is struggling? Patch.com isn't the solution to the industry's problems. It's the manifestation of the industry's problem - a top-down approach to an industry that now economically favors the bottom-up.

If the FCC wants to save local journalism, it ought to be pushing the Department of Justice and the Commerce Department to encourage news chains to break up and sell their publications to local owners.

And online journalists who want to stay in the business for the long haul ought to say no to Patch's temporary lifeline of a few months' paychecks and instead develop the entrepreneurial and publishing skills necessary to launch, grow and sustain an online news community.

We'll talk more about those skills over the next weeks.