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Facebook Inc. (FB) Page Is Dead As Organic Reach Declined To 6.15% By Feb 2014

By
Aarzu Khan
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Facebook Inc. (NASDAQ:FB) is changing and it’s changing really fast. In the last few years world’s largest online social network, enjoying the attention of 1.22 billion monthly active users has gone through multiple shifts. This has resulted in a disappointment for brands and companies whose Facebook Page organic reach has taken a nosedive. While this has emerged as a challenge for brands as well as marketing agencies, Facebook was quick to justify the move as an opportunity – coming at a cost.

Facebook Users Dislike sharingDuring last few revamp and rollouts, Facebook has made major changes in its algorithm, widely known as Edge Rank. It’s an algorithm developed by Facebook to govern what is displayed, and how high and to whom, on News Feed. Of late, the social giant has tightened the new algorithm with Pages that has shrunken the potential reach of each update on the page – despite of having hundreds of thousand fans. After much of uproar Facebook had presented these changes as inevitable and in favor of brands and companies. The explosive growth in number of users, undoubtedly, has become a cause of concern for Facebook, in terms of providing seamless experience and meeting the expectation. Each one of more than half of adult Facebook users have 200 friends in their network, 36% Facebook users strongly dislike other people sharing too much information about themselves, according to a study done by Phew Research last year. Consequently, Facebook has implemented few stern relational-joints to filter out updates from users’ News Feed that interest him least. Therefore, irrespective of number of fans of any brand page, updates on that page are reaching only to those fans that either have shown close interest in the topic or have interacted with the page, recently. However, Facebook has left a safe passage to void this algorithm for Pages that are owned by cash-rich companies. If the organic reach of a page has declined significantly, page admin could pump in money on each update to increase the reach.

Facebook Page Organic Reach: Heading To A Dead-End

The new Edge Ranking change has disappointed millions of small-scale business owners and startups, which don’t have deep pockets for Facebook marketing. The frustration and anger have reached to a level where small brands have started dissociation with Facebook to channelize their efforts for better platform like Google+. A breakup letter to Facebook from Eat24 is a classic example of such annoyance.

Facebook Page Organic Reach 2014

In April 2012, Facebook officially announced that Page organically reach about 16% of their fans. However, by February 2014, the organic reached is reportedly declined to 6.15%, according to the study based upon the analysis of 106 country-level brand pages. The crash in organic reach of Pages in last few years also showcases a future scenario when brands could be totally dependent on Sponsored Updates. Big brands, having more than 500,000 fans, are more distressed as their organic reach had declined to 2.11% by February 2014.

Facebook Marketing: Driven By Intelligence For Optimum ROI

The challenge with organic reach is bound to grow for sure, but Facebook also offers flavors of advertising mechanism that justify the investment. All it needs that marketers must leverage upon data intelligence, ROI and long-term strategy.

Consider this, if your core focus is to enlarge your brand’s community on Facebook, you could create an ad with a focused approach to increase your Like. On an average each fan from the U.S. costs $1.10, and here we are talking about a page that already has 5k fans. To take the fan base tally to 10K, page admin will have to omit $5500 to acquire additional 5K fans. With 10K fans, you page organic reach would be 615 users on each update. A simple calculation proves that page admin coughed $5500 to reach mere 300 additional users. On the other hand, boosting your each page post separately to 1000 users cost just $7, and in many cases much lesser.

In nutshell, the future of Facebook organic reach for Pages looks shady and marketers must be ready to fund their page to increase reach and engagement. While Facebook justifies the move in best interest of growing of users and updates, a lion share of Facebook’s 1.2 billion users is available only at the huge cost for business.

Key Findings & Takeaways:

  • Must allocate a separate budget for Facebook marketing.
  • Spend $10 (minimum) each day on Facebook to build a community.
  • Growing brands on Facebook must split their community into multiple pages for optimum ROI. 6.15% reach of page with 200k fans is higher than 2.1% reach of a page with fan base of 500k.
  • Target Post Engagement campaign while doing Facebook marketing.
  • Community building campaigns and post engagement campaigns must run parallel to ensure create highest level of engagement.
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The Galaxy S Series From Samsung Electronics (KRX:005935) Is The Best Selling Android Phone Series!

By
Vasanth R
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0

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (KRX:005935) is the world’s largest tech company employing 236,000 people in 79 nations. In 2013, Korean electronics giant sold 313.9 million Smartphones and captured 31% of all sales globally. At least one-third of all Smartphones sold globally are made by Samsung. From $188 billion in revenue in 2012, it expects to grow to $400 billion by 2020.Through a vast array of devices including Smartphones, Tablets and Phablets, its market share of devices continues to skyrocket. The Galaxy S series of Smartphones are the company’s premium Smartphone range. By consistently providing new and innovating features on the S series, Samsung has repeatedly posed a threat to its chief rival Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). Through the launch of its newest flagship phone, the Galaxy S5, Samsung expects to cement its domination in the high-end smartphone market.

Here’s an interesting infographic on the evolution of the Galaxy S range,that highlights some major changes the Galaxy S series has undergone over the years.

  • Total shipment for the entire Galaxy S series smartphones is now 194 million units, since its first release in June 2010.
  • The range was initially sold in 100 countries and has since expanded to 155 countries.
  •  At the time of its release, the Galaxy S had the fastest graphical processing of any Smartphone. It was also the thinnest smartphone at 9.9 mm.
  • It is the most successful series of all Smartphones running on Android OS.
  • The Galaxy S4 was the fastest selling Android phone ever, selling 10 million units within the first month. It also witnessed the fastest shipment increase in the entire S series.
  • Samsung Galaxy S2 and Galaxy S3 were voted Phone of the Year in 2012 and 2013 at the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona. The 2014 award went to its Taiwan-based rival HTC Corp (TPE:2498) One (M7).

The Galaxy S5 will be available in India from April 11, with a starting price of Rs 51,000. The flagship model comes with a 5.1 inch display and a 2.5 Ghz Snapdragon 800 processor with 2GB of RAM. It also features an improved Touch wiz UI, an improved 2800 mAh battery, and a 16 MP camera. Some nifty features have been introduced, that includes a heart-rate monitor, fingerprint scanner and wireless charging. By comparing all the earlier versions, we can see the Galaxy S series has indeed come a long way.

Evolution-of-Samsung-Infographic

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Intrapreneurship: Let Employees Look Beyond Job Profile To Foster Innovation !

By
M Chandran
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0

Lately we have been hearing about many big corporations encourage staff to craft new products, ventures to draw more customers.  In this market where technology innovation is being led by active startups, is it a way for bigger corporations by this sort of initiatives to make sure they remain competitive in this fast paced challenging market?

The word “intrapreneurship” is not there in any dictionary, but in the IT metros of India, it is a buzzword as technology companies hungry for innovation are urging employees in this initiative. They are encouraged to don their thinking caps to create new products or even independent ventures that can draw more customers. These initiatives are gaining pace as companies seek to drive technology usage in sectors as varied as sports, lifestyle, retail and health. It is considered as a method of future-proofing the company, and also fulfilling the need  to make product that much better!  We have seen in the market that companies like SAP, Intuit, Qualcomm and Regalix are choosing this path as there is a precedent of small employee-led initiatives turning into big winners.

Intrapreneurship: Why Is It Important

“The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas.”  said Dr. Linus Pauling. If we look back at the history of innovation and wonder what do Gmail, The Godfather, LED bright lighting technology, the Pontiac Fiero, and Post-it® Notes have in common? These were all ground making innovations that came out of believing in the above said idea- they emerged from creative ideas generated by employees working on projects outside the scope of their job responsibilities.

One of the things that is the cause for societal progress and the hallmark of success in organization is “creativity”. In most organizations to innovate, adapt, excel, and survive, depend on creativity from employees. But only on a small number of employees, thereby missing opportunities to introduce a broader range of perspectives to their products, services, and work processes.

What motivates employees to generate creative ideas in everyday jobs?

Intrinsic motivation: enjoying the work itself is seen as the driver of creativity!  When employees enjoy the work itself, they process information flexibly, experience positive affect, and become willing to take risks and persist in efforts to develop and refine ideas.

To foster creativity, it is not enough to make work interesting, challenging, and engaging. We also need to develop policies and practices that enable employees to understand the impact of their work on past, current, and potential end users. This can catalyze pro-social motivation and perspective-taking, encouraging employees to develop ideas that are useful as well as novel.

How does technology improve Innovation? Would “you” foster it?

Today, technological aids are increasingly employed to improve and amplify the innovation process. Now new social methods, especially crowd-sourcing, have fundamentally altered how innovation is achieved and even who does it. So can we assume that by just incorporating the latest gadgets or a new app – innovation can be achieved? Though ERP software, Business Intelligence and CRMs have helped simplify processes, however, there do seem to be a few important challenges that are stubbornly resistant to the siren call of today’s startup mavens or enterprise software vendors. One of these, as it turns out, is the process of open innovation.

Intrapreneurship: Companies

And what is seen in this area of open innovation is the potential of involving diverse knowledge sources from the employees into innovation by creating the practices needed to capitalize on this potential. The employees have skills and experiences that will strengthen an organization’s overall capacity to innovate, given favorable conditions.

This broad, systematic enabling and harnessing of employee knowledge in innovation work just doesn’t involve introducing high-end tech tools but also able guidance of leaders! Would “you” enable it?

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Microsoft Windows XP Shutdown: Why So Much Hullabaloo?

By
Anshul Srivastava
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Windows XP shutting down

April 8, 2014, would be the date when Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) will be pulling the plugs on their most successful operating system in history – Windows XP. On the mentioned date Microsoft would be releasing the last patch for Microsoft XP users. Released for general usage on October 25, 2001, it has been Microsoft’s most successful product till date. Although it has been succeeded by Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1, none of them have been able to replicate the same success for Microsoft.

Even after 13 years since its initial release and new versions of Windows in the market, Windows XP still continues to be one of the most used versions of Windows. Around 29.30% of windows users still use Windows XP to power their machines. Next only to Windows 7.

Desktop Operating System Market Share, March 2014

Windows XP has had the longest shelf life among all the operating systems thanks to its vast user base. The company had initially planned to shut down support in April 2009 but had to continue the support because of its large user base not only among home users but also among enterprise users. Microsoft had earlier warned the enterprise users to shift to its newer versions like Windows 7 or Windows 8, but due to high dependency on Windows XP globally hardly anyone decided to take the plunge. After continuously shifting the deadline, the company finally decided to pull the plugs on April 8. For those who will not be able to shift their critical environments from XP to any other version, Microsoft would still provide some support but it will come at a premium cost.

Why the Hullabaloo on Windows XP shutting down

Windows XP had already outlived its life 5 years ago, so why such a hullabaloo about Microsoft shutting down its support? The reasons are the big corporations, most of them after finding a stable environment in XP stood chained to it. Most of them are still using windows XP in their offices (including mine), and this change would cost them a lot of time and fortune. But with the recent announcement, there are no available options.

But among corporations, the hardest hit is the banking sector. Around two-thirds of ATMs are currently running on Windows XP and there is a very high probability that most of them would not be able to make the April deadline. To deal with this situation they are paying out money to Microsoft for extended support, in the meanwhile, they will slowly move the ATMs from XP to other Windows versions.

Apart from the big corporation there are around one-third of the 1.63 billion PCs in the world that are currently running on Windows XP and not all of them will straight away be moving to another version of Windows and with Microsoft stopping any security updates they would be sitting ducks for hackers.

The End

Microsoft Windows XP would be remembered in history as one of the most successful OS. If Windows 95 & 98  would be remembered in history for taking computers to homes, XP would be remembered as the OS that provided a stable operating environment to the computing industry. This stable and secure environment became the epitome of the perfect OS for the era gone by, something which its successors are finding hard to emulate. Above all, this is an example that when Microsoft gets a product right, it is near perfect.

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Will Sony Corporation (SNE) Benefit By Increasing The Frequency Of Launching Flagship Smartphones?

By
Asif Iqbal Shaik
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0

Even though they popularised the term ‘4 Screen Strategy’ couple of years ago, Sony Corporation (ADR) (NYSE:SNE) understood the fall of PC business and sold off its VAIO business unit to Lenovo Group Limited (ADR) (OTCMKTS:LNVGY). As we reported earlier  they are now focussing on 3 screens – Smartphone, tablet and 4K TVs. While seeking to improve against its more powerful competitors, Sony launched its flagship Smartphone – the Xperia Z2 . This was to counter the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S5 and the HTC One 2014. This was just after 6 months of releasing the Xperia Z1. When every other Smartphone brand including Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) are following the annual upgrade cycle for its flagship devices, Sony has brought this rate down to just 6 months. Will this help Sony or offend its existing consumers?

Sony’s Counter Attack On Samsung’s Dual Flagship Strategy

Samsung Smartphone Shipment and Market share
First Samsung and now Apple, both have worked to create two worthy Smartphones every year. Samsung Group (KRX:005930) started this with the release of Galaxy Note which was pricier than its original flagship, Galaxy S2 and sold in equally astounding numbers. The same was repeated in the next couple of years with the Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy Note 3.  What this did to Samsung was – it always kept Samsung in the limelight, be it due to leaks corresponding to these devices, launch events, reviews or sales numbers. Basically, the Galaxy Note series Smartphones are slightly upgraded versions of Galaxy S series device with an S-Pen for the people who like it. Samsung usually releases the Note series Smartphone 4-6 months after releasing the Galaxy S series flagship. Apple tried this with the iPhone 5C last year but failed due to different intentions. Sony tried this a couple of times with the Xperia Z Ultra and the Xperia Z1 Compact but didn’t get as much traction as they expected even after great reviews of Z1 Compact by all the known experts. Only then Sony tried releasing an actual upgrade to flagship Smartphones instead of mini or max versions.

Sony’s Smartphone & Tablet Line-Up Is Clean & Clear

This comparison will show you why Sony’s Smartphone line-up feels more thought out and clearer than that of Samsung. As opposed to Samsung’s Smartphone line-up and strategies related to them, Sony has a lot simpler and straight forward Smartphone and tablet line-up. Samsung simply offers too many options to the buyers which confuses them.

Samsung Sony
Flagship Samsung Galaxy S5 Sony Xperia Z2
Flagship Mini Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini Sony Xperia Z1 Compact
Phablet (High End) Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Sony Xperia Z Ultra
Phablet (Mid Range) Samsung Galaxy Grand 2, Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8, Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 Sony Xperia T2 Ultra, Sony Xperia C
Dual SIM (Mid Range) Samsung Galaxy Grand 2, Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8, Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3, Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, Samsung Galaxy Grand, Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo, Samsung Galaxy Grand Quattro, Samsung Galaxy Core Sony Xperia C, Sony Xperia M2 Dual, Sony Xperia M Dual
Dual SIM (Entry Level) Samsung Galaxy Ace Duos, Samsung Galaxy S Duos 2, Samsung Galaxy Music, Samsung Galaxy Trend, Samsung Galaxy Young, Samsung Galaxy Star Sony Xperia E1 Dual, Sony Xperia E Dual, Sony Xperia Tipo Dual
Tablet PC (High End) Samsung Galaxy Note Pro 12.2, Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1, Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 Sony Xperia Tablet Z2
Smart Watch Samsung Galaxy Gear, Samsung Gear Sony Xperia Smartwatch 2
Fitness Tracker Samsung Gear 2, Samsung Gear Fit Sony Core

Is Sony Xperia Z2 Better Than The Samsung Galaxy S5?

Currently, Sony is focussing more on getting the basics right in its flagship offerings. The Xperia Z had great design and rugged body but its camera, loudspeaker and screen were below par. With the release of the Xperia Z1, the camera has improved by a great margin. With the release of Xperia Z2, the screen and loudspeaker has improved a lot. Sony Xperia Z2 is a clear winner in terms of design, camera and loudspeaker performance. Right now, the Xperia Z2 is one of the perfect high-end Smartphones of 2014. On the other hand, Samsung is focussing more on adding unique software features on top of Android. Samsung has also received a fair amount of rants for doing so but with the Galaxy S5, people might actually like how Samsung is focussing on the health related things such as heart rate monitor and fitness tracker. But Sony got that covered as well with its ‘Core’ fitness tracker which syncs up with any Android Smartphones via Sony’s free LifeLog application.

Will Sony’s Strategy Hurt Its Buyers?

Sony Xperia Smartphones Sales Performance

Currently, Samsung is the king of Android Smartphone ecosystem with 65% market share. But Sony’s Smartphone sales are growing every passing quarter and their strategy to release flagship Smartphones more frequently might help it move ahead of its competitors in terms of performance. But it might also work in a negative way as it would hurt the buyers’ sentiments because they would not feel exclusive just 6 months after spending a huge amount of money in buying Sony’s high end Smartphone. This is what happened with the Xperia Z1. Even though the Xperia Z1 and the Xperia Z2 share almost all the hardware configurations, Sony has restricted the 4K video recording and other features like ‘Double Tap To Wake’ just for the Z2.
According to Sony’s Kurozumi Yoshiro, Sony will release yet another flagship, the Xperia Z3 by the end of 2014. If Sony’s move of releasing flagship smartphones more frequently doesn’t work, which will be clear by the end of the next quarter, the best thing for Sony would be to stick with the strategy they used for the Xperia Z1 Compact. There might still be a good market for truly flagship class mini Smartphones.
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HTC One M8 vs Sony Xperia Z2 vs Samsung Galaxy S5: Specs, Price, Ultimate Winner ?

By
Dazeinfo
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0

HTC Corp (TPE:2498) has finally unveiled the highly anticipated new HTC One (M8), the ultimate evolution of the award winning HTC One (M7).  While many of its features, including processing power, remain identical to its closest competitors Samsung Galaxy S5 and Sony Xperia Z2, all–new HTC Sense 6, high quality metal unibody with a Smart Sensor Hub distinguishes new HTC One (M8). The new upgrades and additional features make HTC One (M8), successor of world’s best Smartphone 2013, most desirable Smartphone among all in-class Smartphones.

HTC One (M8) Smartphone

Those who are hungry for more processing power due to high consumption of app usage, may find HTC One (M8) slightly disappointing in comparison with the Sony Xperia Z2. However,  HTC One (M8) sets a new benchmark in Smartphone imaging by combing the world’s first Smartphone with a Duo Camera that features HTC’s innovative HTC UltraPixel module, capable of producing high quality images and videos in all conditions. The depth sensor, in addition to UltraPixel, captures detailed information from a scene and enables maximum effects, which is helpful if you want to play around with your images.

Definitely, HTC One (M8) omits the need, till a certain extent of carrying a professional camera with you always and leads with a distinction.

The two new features Motion Launch – operate the phone without actually touching it and HTC Dot View – A sort of Sixth Sense technology helpful for you to protect your phone with an ‘intelligent’ case that works closely with Motion launch, differentiates the HTC One (M8) from its predecessor HTC One (M7). Other features like BoomSound, BlinkFeed, Sense TV, which were introduced as Fantastic Four Features of HTC One (M7), act like cherry on the cake.

HTC has also introduced a technology that optimizes the battery performance up to 40%. This way 2600 mAh battery, included with HTC One (M8), could last longer than 2800 mAh and 3200 mAh bundled with Samsung galaxy S5 and Sony Xperia Z2 respectively.

Smartphone HTC One (M8) Samsung Galaxy S5 Sony Xperia Z2
Dimensions 146.4 x 70.6 x 9.4 mm 142.0 x 72.5 x 8.1 mm 146.8 x 73.3 x 8.2 mm
Weight 160 grams 145 grams 163 grams
Display Size  5.0 inches 5.1 inches 5.2 inches
Display Resolution 1920 x 1080 pixels (441ppi) 1920 x 1080 pixels (432ppi) 1920 x 1080 pixels (424ppi)
Processor Snapdragon 801, Quad Core 2.3 GHz & 2.5 GHz Snapdragon 801, Quad Core 2.5 GHz Snapdragon 801, Quad Core 2.3 GHz
RAM 2 GB 2 GB 3 GB
Operating System Android 4.4 KitKat Android 4.4 KitKat Android 4.4 KitKat
Storage 16/32 GB 16/32 GB 16 GB
Expandable Storage Yes – up to 128 GB Yes – up to 128 GB Yes – up to 64 GB
Primary Camera Dual 4 MP 2688 X 1520Dual LED Flash1080p at 30 fps 720p at 60 fps 16 MP with Flash2160p (4K) at 30 fps1080p at 60 fps 20.7 MP with Flash2160p (4K) at 30 fps1080p at  60fps720p at 120 fps
Secondary Camera 5 MP 1080px at 30 fps 2 MP1080p at 30 fps 2.2 MP1080p at 30 fps
Cellular Speeds and Wi-Fi LTE – 100 Mbps 802.11 a/b/g/n Category 4 LTE – 150 Mbps 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Category 4 LTE – 150 Mbps 802.11 a/b/g/an
Weather Proofing None IP 67Dust and Water Resistant IP 58Dust and Water Resistant
Bio-Sensors None Fingerprint and Heart Rate None
Battery 2600 mAh 2800 mAh 3200 mAh
Colours Available Gunmetal Grey, Glacial Silver, Amber Gold Electric Blue, White, Black and Gold Black, White and Purple

Though, many of the features and components under the hood of HTC One (M8) remain quite similar in-class comparison with upcoming Sony Xperia Z2 and Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One (M8) failed to take the lead position in benchmark comparisons. Sony Xperia Z2 lead the show with maximum 1225 points, followed by HTC One (M8) which scored 1071 points. Surprisingly, Samsung Galaxy S5 only managed to grab 8th position with 986 points in the list of the top 10 highest scoring Smartphones.

HTC One M8 vs Sony Xperia Z2 vs Samsung Galaxy S5 benchmark

The new HTC One (M8) is scheduled for launch in the 2nd week of April in 100 countries via 230 carriers, however, the device is available in the U.S. and Canada from mid night today. Unfortunately, the released list of countries doesn’t carry the name of the world’s second largest mobile phone market India. Currently, India has 900 million mobile subscribers but only 80 million are using Smartphones.

HTC One (M8) Dot View Hands-On Video

HTC One (M8) Motion Launch Hands-On Video

Here is the list of countries and respective carriers HTC One (M8) would be available on:

Europe, Middle East and Africa:

1&1 Germany, A1 Telekom Austria, AB Poland, Action Poland, Allo Ukraine, Amazon Germany, Amazon UK, AMC (Cosmote) Albania, Avea Turkey, Batelco Bahrain, Belcompany Netherlands, BH Telecom Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bibob Denmark, Bite Latvia, Bite Lithuania, Bouygues Telecom France, Brightstar 20:20 mobile, BT UK, Call me Denmark, Carphone Warehouse Ireland, CarphoneWarehouse UK, CBB Denmark, Cell C RSA, Cell C South Africa, Cellcom Israel, Chess Norway, Citrus Ukraine, Cosmote Cyprus, Cosmote Greece, Cosmote Romania& Global Bulgaria, CYTA Cyprus, Digitec Switzerland, Djuice Norway, DT Mobile(TS) Latvia, Du UAE, Dustin Sweden, Eagle Mobile Albania, EE UK, Elisa Estonia, Elisa Finland, Elgiganten Denmark, Elgiganten Sweden, Elkjöb Norway, EMT (TS) Estonia, ERC Ukraine, Etisalat UAE, EuroRtvAGD Poland, Expert Denmark, Gigantii Finland, Go Malta, H3G Austria, H3G Denmark, H3G Italy, H3G Ireland, H3G Sweden, HT Eronet Bosnia & Herzegovina, Ingram Micro Germany, Ingram Micro Poland, Ingram Micro Mobility UK, Interdiscount Switzerland, Irange Poland, Komplett Norway, Komputronik Poland, Komsa Poland, KPN Belgium, KPN Netherlands, Lefdal Norway, LICK France, Life Belarus, LuxGSM Luxembourg, MediaExpert Poland, Media Markt Austria, Media Markt Poland, Media Markt Swizerland, Melita Malta, Meteor Ireland, Mobilcom Debitel Germany, Mobilezone Switzerland, Mobilochka Ukraine, Mobily KSA, MSH Belgium, MSH Germany, M-Tel Montenegro, M-Tel Bosnia & Herzegovina, MTI Ukraine, MTN Cyprus, MTN RSA, MTN South Africa, MTSBelarus, MTS Russia, Nawras Oman, Neonet Poland, Netcom Norway, Netcom shops Norway, Netshop Norway, (Telefónica) O2 Czech, (Telefónica) O2 Germany, (Telefónica) O2 Ireland, (Telefónica) O2 UK, Omantel Oman, Omnitel Lithuania, One Macedonia, One2Cel Norway, Ooredoo Qatar, Orange France, Orange Moldova, Orange Poland, Orange Romania, Orange Slovakia, Orange Spain, Orange Switzerland, Orange Parteners Israel, Otto Germany, Partner Communications Israel, Pelephone Israel, Perimeter Cyprus, PhoneHouse Germany, PhoneHouse Netherlands, PhoneHouse Sweden, Phones4U UK, Play Poland, Plus Communication Albania, Plus Poland, Polkomtel Poland, Proximus Belgium, Saturn Austria, Saturn Poland, Selfridges UK, SFR France, Siba Norway, SiMobil Slovenia, Space World Norway, STC KSA, Sunrise Switzerland, Svyaznoy Russia, Sveris Poland, Swisscom Switzerland, TDC Denmark, Telcom RSA, Tele2 Croatia, Tele 2 Estonia, Tele2 Latvia, Tele2 Lithuania, Tele2 Norway, Tele2 Sweden, Telia Denmark, Telia Sweden, Telekom Slovenija, Telenet Belgium, Telenor Denmark, Telenor Norway, Telenor Sweden, Telenor Hungary, Telenor Serbia, Telenorbutikken Norway, Telering Norway, Telkom Serbia, Tesco UK, Three UK, TIMItaly, TMD Germany, T-Mobile Austria, T-Mobile Croatia, T-Mobile Czech Republic, T-Mobile Germany, T-Mobile Hungary, T-Mobile Macedonia, T-Mobile Montenegro, T-Mobile Netherlands, T-Mobile Poland, T-Mobile Slovakia, Turkcell Turkey, Tus Mobil Slovenia, Velcom (TAG) Belarus, Ventelo Norway, VIP Operator Macedonia, VIP Mobile Serbia, Vipnet Croatia, Virgin Mobile France, Viva Bahrain, Viva Kuwait, Vivacom Bulgaria, Vodacom RSA, Vodacom South Africa, Vodafone Albania, Vodafone Czech Republic, Vodafone Egypt, Vodafone Germany, Vodafone Greece, Vodafone Hungary, Vodafone Ireland, Vodafone Italy, Vodafone Malta, Vodafone Netherlands, Vodafone Quatar, Vodafone Romania, Vodafone Spain, Vodafone Turkey, Vodafone UK, Wataniya Kuwait, Wind Cyprus, Wind Greece, Wind Italy, Yoigo Spain, Yug Contract Ukraine, Zain Bahrain, Zain KSA, Zain Kuwait.

Asia-Pacific: 2degrees New Zealand, 3 Hong Kong, Celcom Malaysia, China Mobile Hong Kong Ltd, Chunghwa Telecom Taiwan, CSL Ltd Hong Kong, CTM Macau, DiGi Malaysia, dtac Thailand, Far Eastone Taiwan, Indosat Indonesia, M1 Singapore, Maxis Malaysia, Mobifone Vietnam, Optus Australia, PCCW Ltd Hong Kong, SingTel Singapore, Smartone Mobile Communications Ltd Hong Kong, StarHub Singapore, Taiwan Mobile, Telecom New Zealand, Telkomsel Indonesia, Telstra Australia, U Mobile Malaysia, Vibo Taiwan, Vodafone Australia, Vodafone New Zealand, XL Indonesia

China: China Mobile, China Unicom, China Telecom

North America: In North America, the HTC One (M8) is available online today through major wireless carriers and retailers including Amazon, Appalachian Wireless, AT&T, Best Buy, Bluegrass Cellular, Car Toys, Cellcom, Chat Mobility, Cincinnati Bell Wireless, Costco, Military Exchange, Net10 Wireless, Pioneer Cellular, RadioShack, Sprint, Verizon Wireless and Walmart in the United States, and Best Buy, Bell, Costco, Future Shop, Koodo, Rogers, SaskTel, The Mobile Shop, The Source, T-Booth, and TELUS in Canada. In-store availability across partners is set to begin on April 10th and starting next month, it will also be available for purchase online and in retail through T-Mobile.

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Apple iBeacon Technology Revolutionizes A New Vision For The Retail Industry

By
Dazeinfo
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0

The barriers for mobile engagement seem to be limitless, especially with enhanced shopping experiences and retail marketing opportunities based on proximity. The iBeacon technology from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) provides that level of mobile-based shopping convenience and message customization. Here’s how iBeacon, a digital location-sensor system, and beacon devices in general are shaping the retail industry for mobile consumers and retailers:

What is iBeacon?

Apple’s iBeacon is short-range positioning technology that uses Bluetooth low-energy (Bluetooth LE or BLE) connection to communicate with nearby devices. The BLE enables the connection between your iPhone and strategically placed beacons. The location-sensing application connects with these in-store beacons while detecting enabled smartphones to send push notifications. An interested recipient can then download the mobile app specific to his or her location in the store or venue that’s sending the messages.

Apple iBeacon

The functionality of iBeacon was upgraded as part of the recently-launched iOS 7.1, reports Cult of Mac. The upgrade cancels iBeacon’s opt-in invitations and user permissions. Once you download the store, stadium, museum or mall app, the store can interact with your phone, without your permission and without the app even running. Then, as the iBeacon system interacts with your enabled iOS app, you can receive messages such as “your package is ready for pickup” and “that painting you’re looking at is by Da Vinci,” explains Mashable. Messages can also include coupons and incentives, which is why iBeacon technology revolutionizes mobile retail engagement.

Influence on Mobile Retail Market

Since the rapid emergence of smartphone capabilities and mobile apps, the mobile retail and consumer experience continues to evolve in sync. While location-reading technologies transform the mobile retail space, social-search and image-recognition shopping apps also enhance fashion and shopping experiences. The ASAP54 iPhone app was launched last month and helps users find items through a social fashion community and visual recognition technology. Users can hunt down items using the visual search tool and even consult with a team of in-house stylists.

apple ibeacon

According to a retail study by mobile analytics company Flurry, 70 out of 100 surveyed retailers focus on apps and have at least one. Leading advertising platform TapSense shares in its “Mobile Marketing for 2014” report that Web retailer Wayfair’s Joss and Main, a private sales site offering home products, preferred to develop “their apps before rolling out their mobile sites.” The Joss and Main app consumers are more valuable than mobile Web consumers, says Joss and Main general manager Paul Toms.

The proximity-based broadcasting tech system iBeacon is similarly making its presence in the app-centric shopping and retail market. iBeacon emerged late last year as an extension of iOS’s Location Services to pinpoint a shopper’s whereabouts, help guide the shopping experiences and encourage purchases. Major retailers, such as Macy’s and American Eagle Outfitters, tested iBeacon opportunities using Shopkick. Shopkick is an in-store shopping app that offers rewards, incentives and product alerts in the form of digital currency called “kicks.” Macy’s adopted shopBeacon, Shopkick’s first iBeacon signal, in New York City and San Francisco stores to test special promotions and product recommendations emitted through iBeacon. As customers walked through the store with a shopBeacon-enabled iPhone, they received these types of messages from Macy’s.

Push notifications tailored to a shopper’s location could potentially transform the entire retail industry if retailers can cultivate consumer value with iBeacon opportunities. Beacons are relatively easy to install and provide cost-effectiveness — beacons are generally $40 and Qualcomm’s model ranges between $5 and $10. As iBeacon systems become more widespread, critics are skeptical about privacy and relevancy. Yet, the excitement over the potential for greater convenience and personalization for consumers, as well as digitized sales and marketing for retailers, seems to outweigh the cons.

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Why And How Do Big Corporates Benefit From Working With Startups

By
M Chandran
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0

Big corporate are seen investing in startups in many areas lately. In fact, many platforms help innovative startups and angel investors to connect in their local ecosystems, and that paves a way to create investable companies that VC firms can start funding and help to create viable businesses. But there is a gap in the size of deals yet to get the market attention. This is where the large corporates come in to fill the gap because, at this stage, the startups have validated their business models and tend to have a decent management team. By tapping into the resources and infrastructure of these corporations, startups can grow and scale their products much faster and efficiently.

But the belief in the tech world is that corporations and startups cannot form a mutually beneficial relationship without one ultimately buying out the other. Here the matter of startups losing their identity is of primary concern, and that’s the main reason for the reluctance to such partnerships. It is also because startups feel like they are “selling out” by teaming up with bigger companies, and corporations mostly feel wary of startup culture not living with the company ethos.

Big Corporates Must Work Startups

There are numerous reasons for the startups actually to forgo their fear of acquisition – if that indeed exists – and look at the brighter side of such collaborations. To start with, a corporation typically has plenty of capital; it provides access to needed resources, as well as branding and PR expertise that does not come at an additional cost. At the same time, visibility and credibility are increased, which usually takes years for a startup to build effectively.

But how can a corporation benefit from a partnership with a budding startup?

The question is: What can an already established corporation, one with the existing capabilities and resources to develop their technology needs, gain from opening the communication line and forming a partnership with a startup?

Considering the strength of startups, what stands out is their innovative skills which are lacking in large corporate whereas they are good at execution, which happens to be the weakness in startups.  It is a time the two embraces each other by leveraging their strength and the need for collaboration has never been greater than it is today.

Most large companies take a long time for decisions. Between conference calls, rounds of approvals, and the viewpoints and weigh-in of different people with different goals and agendas, etc. But if the corporation can nab up the group of risk-taking innovators and let them hit the ground running with the project, since they don’t usually go through an extensive protocol to get the ball rolling they get moving quickly, take risks, experiment, and get the job done for the corporation faster.

Also, the alpha product made by the startups does not risk the corporation’s financial security either. They haven’t had to implement a new department, acquire new resources, or onboard any new employees since they all already exist in the corporation.

Such a partnership gives freedom to both parties. Corporations have the freedom to pursue their market opportunities quickly, and startups have the freedom to execute innovative ideas with endless resources. It just doesn’t stop with the product itself, larger companies benefit culturally from bringing a startup into the mix with fresh ideas being stirred up, perspectives being shifted, and innovation abounds.

What we see here is the technologies developed rapidly by startups are relatively inexpensive. And with the large distribution channels of the corporations and the lookout for innovative technologies to enhance their business quickly without adding to their overheads is fulfilled here. As partnerships between big companies and startups bud, the opportunity for acquisition can make sense for both sides. Combining the deft and nimbleness of startups with the resources and distribution channels of large companies can lead to profitable partnerships.

And that is the truly incredible aspect of the changing business model in today’s information technology arena…..!!

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Content Marketing 2014: 54% Companies Produce Contents, Only 37% Tracking Engagement!

By
Aarzu Khan
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0

The rise of social media and Internet has transformed the tactics marketers used to adopt till few years back. In last 3 years or so, markets as well as companies have invested a huge chunk of their marketing budget and efforts in creating multiple forms of contents and to market them through various channels, including Facebook, YouTube or Pinterest. So, how exactly few leading modern marketing agencies, who are using marketing automation to take their marketing to next level, are adopting and blending few best practices of content marketing with various forms of content?

The team at LookBookHQ tried to explore up to what level companies understand the true potential of content marketing, what form of contents are they focused on, the purpose of content production and associate challenges to produce contents, be it in-house to outsources. And, to do it in best way, LookBookHQ associated with Oracle Eloqua – the home of modern marketers.

The findings are quite surprising:

  • 20% of companies are producing multiple assets of contents per week, while 54% are producing content assets (excluding blog posts) every 2 weeks.
  • While Papers and eBooks are at prime focus as 76% companies are investing more efforts into these. Webinars and Video contents are the other major focus area with 74% and 66% of companies are regularly producing such contents.

Type of Content Companies Are Producing regularly

  • 88% of companies are investing into content production with a single goal of Demand/Lead generation.  Only 58% of companies are focusing on content for brand awareness.
  • Majority of companies are leveraging outsourced content development or in-house content curation for marketing. Nearly 50% companies use third-party agencies to develop content while 21% share third-party curated content to market their own products/services.
  • Companies have started showing confidence in blogging as an integral part of their marketing efforts. Around 33% of companies produce only 2 to 5 blog posts in a month. On the higher side 24% companies claimed to produce 11 blog posts in a month.
  • To create buzz about their own brand/services/products, 76% companies share other people’s content, mainly via social networks, blogs, email or website.

Besides detail report, LookBookHQ has also released the below infographic, titled The State of Content Marketing 2014, highlighting many takeaways for companies and content marketing companies.

State-of-Content-Marketing-2014_Infographic-FV

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Apple Inc. (AAPL) iOS vs Google Inc. (GOOG) Android: The Ultimate Winner ?

By
Anshul Srivastava
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0

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) may be world’s most admired company for 2014, its Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) which is giving sleepless nights to iPhone maker. For last couple of years, market share of Google owned Android has been increasing consistently, it has emerged an undisputed smartphone market leader by capturing nearly 79% of market share leaving Apple behind with only 15.6 % share. More than 700 smartphone vendors, including global leader Samsung, has largely influenced Android’s dominance over global smartphone market.Smartphone Market Share

Android has Numbers

Android has been the first choice of numerous smartphone maker across the world, thanks to Google’s policy of making it available for almost free. Android, as an operating system, is powering a large number of smartphones across the globe and having it available on entry-level to premium range smartphones makes it the most used OS in the smartphone market. Android has beaten Apple hands down in the developing countries, thanks to its availability on entry-level and mid-range smartphones, but in developed economies it is still a close fight between with Android having a slight edge but not a clear winner. Smartphone-OS-market-share-1

Apple has Money

While Android is riding high in global smartphone market, which is also expanding its base quarter over quarter, it is Apple which is laughing all the way to the bank. Apple iOS is still the leading OS in the developed countries contributing the largest to company’s revenue. Apple is still the leading smartphone in the U.S., where it increased usage in Q4 2013 by 8% to 60% from 52% in Q4, 2012. smartphone-oem-share Apart from its leading presence in developed markets another major money spinner for Apple is its App Store that generated around two times the revenue generated by Android in 2013. This big gap is because of Apple’s strong presence in developed economies.
App-Revenue

Challenges being faced by Apple

The main challenge that Apple is facing currently, is its limited presence among users in the developing markets. Combined, China and India are the largest smartphone market with nearly 780 million smartphone users and more than 1.3 billion mobile phone users are yet to migrate to smartphone. In these two of the fastest growing Smartphone markets Apple has a very limited presence – still a single digit market penetration. Android based devices have established a strong foothold in both of these markets. Although Apple is aspired in both the markets, but iPhone are on the other side of price range that most people can afford. New country-specific price strategy, real subsidised iPhones through carriers could be the effective strategies Apple would have to try to mark a footprint and would result in a sizeable smartphone market share of these markets. For last one year Apple has been trying very hard in both the markets. In China, the iPhone maker has recently signed a deal with China Mobile, so in India with Reliance Communications to gain some market foothold. In 2014, Apple is expected to record nearly 230 million iPhone sales, out of which 20 million sales is expected to come from the deal with China mobile alone. Besides, Foxconn, the biggest manufacturer of iPhone, has announced to produce 90 million units of iPhone 6 during 2014.

Challenges being faced by Android

Although Android leads the global Smartphone market with 78% share still it cannot rest comfortably. Consistence attempts by Apple to gain strong market share and rise of new rivals, like Microsoft’s Windows Phone OS and Nokia’s venture into the market with forked Android version, could put the numero-uno position of Android in jeopardy. Despite of enjoying the supreme position in Smartphone market, Android is still the second most adopted OS in the developed economies, like the U.S. and European Market. With market stagnating in these economies and growth getting reduced to single digit year over year, it is becoming more and more tough for Android based devices to get or maintain lead in the developed world. On the other hand Apple and Microsoft are trying to corner market share in the emerging market’s from Android. On one side Apple is trying to align with new carriers, Microsoft is trying to beat Android in its own Game by offering free licences to smartphone makers in these countries. Another area where Android lags behind is the revenue from its Google Play store. With its most consumer base is from low-end devices market in emerging countries,  desire of recording high numbers of Android app downloads, the paid-app market share remains a concern. 

Who is the Winner ?

While one is a clear winner in terms of smartphone numbers and other one emerges as an greatest gainer in terms of revenue dollars. Therefore it becomes real hard to decide who, Android or iOS, is dominating the Smartphone market technically. As both trying hard to turn their weakness into strengths, picture could be clearer in next three to four years or it could become worse for both of it with the entry of Microsoft, who is trying to play from both sides. Only the future will tell.

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Meet Xubuntu, For Life Beyond Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) Windows XP OS !

By
DebD
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4

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) Windows XP has had a glorious run, and has been the most successful Desktop OS in the history of Microsoft or indeed any other Desktop Operating System. This is especially impressive if one considers that despite having been had launched in 2001 it still has an impressive market share of 29.3%, as of March 2014, of connected PCs or 550 million odd PCs. Considering a lot of older PC’s may not be even connected to the Internet could bump that number even higher.

Though Microsoft has long attempted to migrate users from this venerable legacy OS, first disastrously using Vista, followed by a much better effort in Windows 7 and more recently to Windows 8, a huge number of holdouts simply refuse to let go of their familiar OS, often ignoring some real shortcomings in terms of security, stability and modernity. Over the years Microsoft has released numerous service packs, security patches that let Windows XP be compatible with newer technologies, hardware and standards. This helped the old fellow keep pace with newer OSes from Microsoft’s own stable as well as the ones from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and to a lesser extent from Linux-based installations.

Desktop Operating System Market Share, March 2014

However come April 8, 2014, and Microsoft pulls the plug on XP Support, which means no automatic updates and no Security Essentials. Microsoft would of course like you to do one of the following things:

  1. Upgrade your current PC (difficult for notebooks) to run Windows 8.1 or
  2. Get a new PC altogether with Windows 8.1 preinstalled.

It doesn’t’ take a genius to realize that both are rather pricey alternatives.

If this was the situation a couple of years back, where there was an absolute Microsoft monopoly, the general user wouldn’t have had much of an option. MacOS demands a dedicated and expensive Apple hardware and Linux was simply too geeky, and availability/support for alternative software was almost non-existent. In the last 14 years, a lot has happened. Online security threats and have become considerably more sophisticated, Internet services such as hosted applications and Social Networking has taken off, and the desktop with its locally stored applications and data is increasingly irrelevant. The Smartphone/Tablet platform along with their App ecosystems have evolved to an extent that a lot of people simply do not feel the need of a dedicated PC to get their fix of media consumption and personal computing. The Phone IS the computer these days.

So what do you do if you have a perfectly operational albeit aged PC that still serves as the primary device for things such as word processing, email, accounts, spreadsheets and other activity that requires the use of a full-fledged keyboard? Now is a good time to mention that if familiarity with the XP OS is the key issue that holds you back from migrating to Windows 8.1, which will look and feel like a completely different OS, your best option is now probably Ubuntu Linux. Not just the standard Ubuntu Linux,, but the lightweight version called Xubuntu.

Xubuntu OS: For Die-Heart XP Lovers

Xubuntu is a distribution of Ubuntu, which uses the same architecture and software repositories as the mainstream Ubuntu. The only difference is that in the regular Ubuntu distribution, it uses a GUI called Unity, which is much more Mac OSX like, whereas Ubuntu uses XFCE which resembles a prettier version of XP. Alternatively, you could also check out Linux Mint, which pretty much feels exactly like Vista, but I stick to Xubuntu due to better Cannonical support – the People behind Ubuntu). Xubuntu is incredibly stingy on resources, and can run smoothly on a Pentium 4 or higher with a measly 512MB of RAM. Recommended specs being any Dual Core Intel/AMD CPU with 1GB of RAM.

Xubuntu Operating System

So what has changed in the Linux world, that it makes it a worthy alternative to XP now? 2 things, Ease of Use and, Software.

There used to be a time, that in order to make Ubuntu or any Linux distribution work properly, you needed some basic knowledge of the UNIX file system and architecture, and that meant knowing some text commands as well which made it the domain for nerds and geeks. On top of that, hardware support was terrible and getting supported drivers was a challenge. It’s a lot different now. The installation process for Ubuntu/Linux Mint, is probably simpler than Windows these days. Drivers are automatically detected, and configured, and downloaded, as far as you are connected to Internet, if they are not present. Updates happen automatically just like they do under Windows, which, of course, does not apply to pirated versions. Linux is free, so the question of piracy doesn’t arise.

In terms of Software, pretty much every thing you need for personal computing is available. Cross platform editions of the software that you’re used to under Windows, are freely available for Ubuntu. Some of them are VLC (Media Player), Google Chrome/Mozilla Firefox (Browsers), Skype/Viber (VoIP and IM), Dropbox (Cloud Sync), Adobe Reader and so on. For other software there are either good Linux alternatives. For instance in place of iTunes, I use a media manager called Clementine. The Ubuntu Software Center is like the Google Play store for Ubuntu apps. You can find a plethora of various Ubuntu software. Another good news for Gamers is Ubuntu supports Valve’s Steam and online marketplace of commercial games. The point I am trying to make here is Xubuntu is equally simple and user-friendly to install, manage and use like other popular operating systems, especially Windows XP.

However some things in life may not be completely replaceable. There are people who are simply too used to certain Windows-only packages such as Microsoft Office or Tally and may be apprehensive to make the shift. LibreOffice might be an excellent alternative, but it’s not Microsoft Office. The good news is that now certain native Windows program can run seamlessly under Ubuntu using a program called Crossover, which utilizes WINE, an emulation layer under Linux. Also People might be used to the Microsoft standard font which are not available by default under Ubuntu, but a quick search for Microsoft Font packs in Software Center fixes that. Finally all browser based sites and applications such as Facebook, Gmail, Google Apps etc look and feel exactly the same they do under Windows. It also uses the exact same keyboard shortcuts and Menu Structure as Windows.

Xubuntu is thereby highly recommended and inexpensive (FREE!) alternative to Windows XP. And to think, you will never suffer a virus attack or a BSOD just sweetens the deal, so go ahead and download and install. Once you get used to it you’ll notice some incredibly handy features such as Virtual desktops, IM/Social desktop integrations and notifications, which will surely make you question why did you not make the move earlier.

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Working With Teams Across The World: Global Spread Made Things Easier Or More Challenging?

By
M Chandran
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0

Around two decades ago, people who sit together in one location and work is considered a team, but now thanks to the internet/intranet era that brought about video conferencing, global teams work together easily across the world. Differences in time zone, languages and culture: these don’t really matter anymore!

Geographically dispersed team help to increase efficiency, cost savings and gives us the ability to choose team members with the best skills, regardless of their location. But that also comes with challenges like fair treatment to all, prevent feeling of isolation to some and to get all members to focus on team objectives, no matter the differences.

Working Rremotely

We can go ahead and discuss the pros and cons with regard to global perspective with many points of view and bridging the differences but also the relationship between demographic diversity and team performance, has not been clearly proved. What matters in the current market is to increase the team’s productivity by relevant techniques and in the process deal with the challenges that comes along with them.

To increase smooth and efficient working teams, it is essential to choose the right team players ( self motivated, good communication skills ,result driven and honest)  and ensure that strong communication technologies are employed. This is where we see the significance of technology which bridges the challenges and helps smooth flow as well.

Does use of communication technologies wisely, help combat the challenges that arise?

In today’s communication era, there is no need to emphasize that the virtual/ global teams’ success or failure depends on the use of communication technologies in the right way. That’s when the new terminology used “Netiquette” comes in, which is utilizing the communication techniques responsibly and respectfully.

Netiquette Standards are abundant, but a few simple ones, when used, can help avoid pitfalls and combat other issues that arise as well. For example:  email etiquettes, use of databases in the acceptable way for mass mails etc. One of the complicated issues is to implement proprietary rights and information essentials. Use of virtual white boards, chat rooms, and bulletin boards, in which proper language and abbreviations known globally should be enabled which avoids confusions and misunderstandings.

Some tools used in the current business: MS SharePoint, Google Docs, Skype, MS Net Meeting, Online calendar sharing (Google Calendar), scheduling (Tungle), task management (ToodleDo) are all functions available for little cost yet provide high value to the project.

The use of virtual communication in the right way and contributing meaningfully will reflect on individual skills and more strategy and opportunity would become available to them, so it is useful for personal career growth as well. Maintaining a professional attitude in all arenas of communication, behaviour and team work becomes the essentials for success.

The role of the Leader does not change when working with virtual teams. Only the tools that they use have changed and evolved. It is still vital for management to know who is doing what, when, how long it takes and the cost impact on the project. Whether working on collaborative platforms or bringing together the needed components from various experts, these tools allow the leader to work with the virtual team as effectively as if they were all local resources, sitting in one room.

Cheers to the technology breakthroughs that make this possible and successful!

Here is the bonus for those who are aspiring to work remotely yet skeptical about its benefits, challenges or adoption. The findings below could help to you decide how should you draw your future roadmap while working remotely.

Benefits of Working Remotely

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Why Is Google Inc. (GOOG) Betting Big Time On Nexus Series Smartphones ?

By
Ivan David Makey
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10

What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear or read the phrase Google Inc. (NASDAQ : GOOG) owned Nexus? The answer, I guess, is pretty simple. You immediately focus your thoughts upon a line of mobile Android devices (tablets and smartphones) that come from the stable of Google. These devices are very well specced in terms of hardware and offer a pure, clean and uncluttered Android experience in terms of software and user interface. In other words, they offer the Vanilla or stock Android experience as they do not have any manufacturer or carrier specific modifications or changes to the operating system.

Google Nexus Smartphone Devices

Simply put, the concept of a device from the Nexus line is that Google oversees departments such as design, R&D, marketing and support but the production of that device will be undertaken by a company in partnership with Google. For example, the very first Nexus One was built in cooperation with HTC, Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus by Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (KRX:005930), the Nexus 4 and Nexus 5 is built by LG Electronics Inc. (KRX:066570) and the rumours claim successor Nexus 6 would also be made by LG. A notable feature of the Nexus line of devices is that they are the first in line among all other Android devices to receive software updates and upgrades to their operating systems. While the Nexus series includes five smartphones and two tablets, it is the smartphone that has garnered more focus on itself. The first generation version of the Nexus smartphone was released four years ago.

Here is some brief information about the entire range of Nexus smartphones:

Nexus One:

Released in January 2010 and manufactured by HTC, the Nexus One featured Android 2.2 Froyo. The last update to its OS was seen in the form of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich after which Google announced that it wouldn’t be releasing any further upgrades to its OS. It also holds the distinction of being the only Nexus device until now to offer an option of expanding the storage capacity via a memory card.

Nexus S:

The Nexus S was released in December 2010 with Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS. It was manufactured by Samsung. It received a subsequent update to Android 4.0 ICS and sometime towards the end of the year 2011. Later versions also received updates to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. It doesn’t receive software updates any longer now.

Galaxy Nexus:

The Galaxy Nexus was released in November 2011 with Android 4.0 ICS and was manufactured by Samsung. It received its final software update in the form of Android 4.3. It is also known as the Galaxy X in some markets.

Nexus 4:

The Nexus 4 was released in November 2012 and saw a change in terms of the manufacturing company being involved. LG replaced Samsung as the company that was manufacturing the Nexus smartphones. This device came with Android 4.2 and it received an update to Android 4.3 in June 2013 and to Android 4.4 KitKat in November 2013.

Nexus 5:

The Nexus 5 was a revolutionary device because it was released at a comparatively lower price point but with specifications that would put it in the company of the many flagship smartphones. It was made available in October 2013. This device was also manufactured by LG and was the first device to feature Android 4.4 KitKat. The Nexus 5 won many accolades from various experts and analysts all over the globe. It was rated as one of the best smartphones of the year 2013 and still continues to occupy a top spot in the list of the best smartphones available in the world currently. The Nexus 5 may seem to have in it all the ingredients of a class leading smartphone but there were some chinks in its armour as well, It suffered its biggest setbacks, thanks to the somewhat ordinary performance of its camera, weak battery back-up and poor sound quality from the on-board speakers. It was good to see that Google took note of these issues and tried to iron them out by means of subsequent software updates (Android 4.4.1 and 4.4.2 to be specific). The camera’s performance was improved, the poor back-up of the battery was also addressed and later units of the Nexus 5 had more holes on the body over the speaker area, which resulting in improved sound output by a small margin.

Google Nexus 5 Smartphone

The words of Hiroshi Lockheimer, VP of Engineering for Android truly sum up the entire notion of the Nexus line of devices, “It (Nexus) stands for high specs at a really fair price. The other thing is the updates come directly from Google. Those are the attributes of Nexus that I think people have really enjoyed and we’re not changing that strategy.”  

Every Nexus smartphone that has been released in the past has basically been a hardware variant of another smartphone. This implies that the hardware bits used in the concerned Nexus smartphone and in the product(s) of the company manufacturing that variant of the Nexus over the years (HTC, Samsung and LG) were sourced from a common parts bin. But when one considers the Nexus 5, it can be clearly seen that this is a device that intends to carve out a separate niche for itself, a separate niche from the rest of the smartphones out there and from all of its predecessors within the Nexus range as well. It is a known fact that the Nexus 5 shares its underpinnings with the LG G2,the upcoming Nexus 6 will share its underpinnings with the upcoming LG G3, but Google has made efforts to ensure that the Nexus 5 gets a separate identity both from the LG G2 and from the previous Nexus smartphones. This can be brought to light from the following examples:

  • Google didn’t consider having the standard Android text messaging app on the Nexus 5. Instead, it launched the Nexus 5 with an exclusive messaging app known as Hangouts. While Hangouts has been made available for other devices as well now, it must be noted that this was initially a Nexus 5 only app.
  • Then there is the Nexus 5 Launcher that just waits for you to say the magic phrase, Okay Google! and the phone springs up into action. Initially available exclusively for the Nexus 5, this feature has now trickled down into other Nexus devices and Google Play Edition devices as well.
  • The phone’s dialer also boasts of an exclusive feature. It doubles up as a search tool that allows the user to search for locations and local businesses.
  • The file picker is integrated with cloud storage now. Through it, any cloud storage system on the device can be accessed.
  • The Nexus 5 also comes with a long set of tail features essentially meaning that further modifications and developments by end-users can be carried on.

While these were some notable characteristics of the Nexus 5, the next installment in this series is the highly anticipated Nexus 6 and it is due for release sometime later this year. If the information running out of rumor mills is to be believed, the Nexus 6 will be a very well endowed smartphone from Google. The Nexus range of tablets have also played a major role in scripting the Nexus’ success story but as stated earlier, prime focus remains on the smartphone division. Google is also developing a smartwatch that will be paired along with the Nexus range of mobile devices. This smartwatch has been codenamed Gem and will be manufactured by LG.

In spite of all these developments, one of the major grouses with regard to the Nexus line and especially concerning the Nexus smartphones is the issue regarding Google’s long term commitment with its devices. Google usually stops offering major software updates for its devices after a period of eighteen months from the date of launch whereas Apple still delivers iOS updates for devices that are almost four years old now. This really casts a shadow on Google’s long term commitment policy. Although Google is launching new generation variants in its Nexus line-up at frequent intervals, users having a previous generation variant may feel left out in the cold once they stop receiving software updates for their respective device(s).

Another potential threat to the Nexus line-up could possibly come from a relatively new line of devices known as Google Experience Devices or Google Play Editions of concerned mobile devices. These niche category devices do not sport the Nexus tag on them; they offer the trademark hardware of the concerned manufacturer combined with a stock or Vanilla Google software. Updates for such devices are delivered by the concerned manufacturers, and not Google itself, but the norms set by various carriers regarding software updates are bypassed.

All these factors point towards a single direction. They suggest that there is a paradigm shift as far as the positioning of Nexus devices is concerned. While previously Nexus devices were seen as devices offering a pure Android experience, the focus is shifting now to project them as devices offering a pure Google experience. The further expansion of the Nexus smartphone range, Nexus 6, and Google foraying into unchartered territory, Nexus smartwatch, can testify to this fact. It is time that established players such as Samsung, HTC Corp (TPE:2498), LG, Sony Corporation (NYSE:SNE) and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ : AAPL) sit up and take notice that Google could be potentially eating up into their market share as more and more people are drawn towards the Nexus range. The Nexus range of devices from Google could indeed be the nexus between it being a software giant and a well established consumer electronics player.

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Smartphone Users Doubled In Urban India: Recorded 89% Y-O-Y Growth In 2013!

By
Vasanth R
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0

Smartphone usage is seeing an urban explosion in India with a whopping 51 million users in 2013. From 27 million users in 2012, the urban Smartphone market grew almost 89% in the country in the last one year according to the latest Nielsen-Informate mobile insight report titled Smartphone Surge In India Continues. The share of Smartphones in the mobile market in urban area has also doubled, surging up from 9% in 2012 to 17% in 2013. More than one in five people in the metro cities are now carrying a Smartphone.

Smartphone users in indiaKey Findings Of The Report

The report is based on the survey responses of 8,050 Smartphone panelists. The results have revealed that western India clocked the country’s highest urban Smartphone penetration at 22% in April 2013 from 7% in April, 2012. The higher number of entry-level Smartphone launches in financially stable states like Gujarat and Maharashtra have helped increase Smartphone incidence. Northern and Eastern India witnessed a slightly less increase in Smartphone incidence due to poor mobile infrastructure and socio-economic factors.

Smartphone incidence across zones

Age And Gender Gaps

Improved purchasing power and an increase in number of entry-level devices has allowed Smartphone penetration to grow phenomenally in a country where per-capita income is US$100. Despite an 80% increase in penetration in this category more men are found using Smartphones compared to women. Among males, the figure stands at 20% which is nearly twice the 11% incidence among females. For the younger generation below 18 years, owing a Smartphone has become a priority with 20% penetration rates among females and 23% among males. The scenario is no different for adults who fall under the age group of 36 and 40 years, both male and female users are found to be equally excited towards Smartphones. However, in other age groups owning a Smartphone is influenced from profession and work.

Gender and age groups

Level Of Engagement Varies In Towns And Cities

Users in larger metropolitan cities spend less time engaging with their Smartphones than users in mini metros, tier-1 and tier-2 cities. This can be attributed to a busier lifestyle and the presence of multiple screens such as televisions, laptops and tablet computers in households and offices. All kinds of surveyed urban users spend at least more than 2 hours on their Smartphone every day. An average time of 25 minutes were spent on making calls and sending text messages. In large metros and mini metros, users spend an average of 45 and 47 minutes respectively, on online apps. Browsing on mobile websites is more frequent in tier-1 and tier-2 cities than in metros due to a lack of broadband infrastructure for desktop computers and laptops. Absence of trust or ignorance in using online apps is another reason consumers prefer using mobile websites.

Smartphone usage across town classesOpportunities Aplenty

With Smartphone penetration growing at such phenomenal rates, the scope for content, apps and social media is constantly on the rise and is an opportunity for marketers and advertisers. In a country with over 820 million mobile subscribers ready to upgrade to Smartphones, a potential gold mine awaits Smartphone vendors and marketers. Foreign Smartphone vendors are wooing the urban consumers with discounts on flagship products while established vendors are targeting the entry-level Smartphone market to increase their market share. With more vendors entering the new market, Smartphone users under the age of 18 and those in the 18-30 age group will emerge as the main target group for these brands to focus on. Falling prices of Smartphones and improved internet networks will increase Smartphone penetration rates to even higher levels in the years to come.

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Will The Lack Of Storage In Apple Inc. (AAPL) iPhone 5C 8GB Cause Problem For Users ?

By
Vasanth R
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Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) recently launched of 8GB variant of iPhone 5C that comes with just 5 GB of available storage. Pre-installed software including, iMovie, iPhoto and iWork apps together constitute nearly 3 GB of storage. The remaining storage is likely to get filled up as user photos, email and apps can quickly add up. Apple has tried to address its mobile storage issues for users with its free iCloud service, which allows users to store music, videos and App Store purchases in the cloud, to be downloaded for future use. The 16 GB iPhone is currently on sale for U.S$549 while the 8 GB version is  available for U.S$500 or less.

Having an external storage option is typically ideal for users, who download sophisticated games and other apps from App Store that can easily take up 1 GB or more of storage. Apple has used different RAM capacities to create different price tiers of products as consumers are well aware that more room for storage is something valuable enough to pay extra for. However, the default claimed storage figure of gigabytes is not important, a user must pay attention to the left over available storage after the operating system, featured applications, trial ware and other default contents accounted in.

Which Device Has The Most Storage?

In the Surface Pro, tablet introduced by Microsoft Corporation. (NASDAQ:MSFT), the software alone used up as much as 64 percent of the device’s on-board storage depending on the model. A large portion of the unit’s flash storage was allocated to Windows 8, pre-installed apps and a recovery partition, leaving users a meager 36 to 65 percent of space to work with. The base 64 GB Surface Pro model has 41 GB of installed Bloatware, a software that comes pre-installed with the device, leaving users just 23 GB of disk space, while the more expensive 128 GB version had 83 GB left after a 45 GB partition was applied. For its part, Microsoft had warned users of the issue on the Surface webpage, stating “System software uses significant storage space. Available storage is subject to change based on system software updates and apps usage.”

In comparison, Apple iOS leaves over 85 percent of advertised storage available out of the box, depending on the device and OS version. In 16 GB category, Apple iPhone has more available storage than any other device with 12.6 GB or 79% of its advertised space, similarly the iPhone 5S has 12.2 GB of capacity available or 76% of its advertised storage. By comparing the latest iPhone 16 GB variants to a number of Android devices, the iPhone 5C clearly has more storage than all the other phones. Samsung Electronics Co.Ltd. (KRX:005935) Galaxy S4 has the least available storage with just 8.56 GB free for the user. This capacity is limited by the amount of customized software Samsung included on the handset, including its Android skin “Touchwiz“ and other features such as eye-tracking.

storage

The Galaxy S4 however features a 64 GB micro SD card slot while iPhone and Nexus owners don’t enjoy the luxury to increase their storage capacity and are restricted to their internal storage. Google has taken precautions with Android OS to restrict usage of external storage to make sure that handset performance is not decreased. Consequently, many Android apps cannot be installed/moved on to an external storage card, and any inserted memory card can only be used to host media files and documents. Besides, there are many other services installed by device vendors, like Samsung, HTC, Sony, that eats up lots of storage but can’t be deleted or moved on external storage. As features on smartphones become more fancy, they will use up more storage and battery leaving very little actual storage for users.

However, few speculations claim that Google will place a SD card slot in its latest Nexus 6 model. Ultimately, it does not seem fair that the device storage is lesser than what is advertised. While it may be easy to check whether a phone has a memory card slot, there is no way of finding out how much storage is actually being offered on a device. This is a point most brands should keep in mind when they launch their flagship products later this year.

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