The latest version of Apple OS X, Mountain Lion, just hit the App Store for $19.99.
“Of course, this round is download-only, so if you want to get your grubby paws on the desktop version of AirPlay Monitoring, Messages, Share Sheets and the rest of those 200+ features, this is the only way to do it,” comments Engadget.
Notable new features include: full iCloud integration, an all new Messages app (replacing iChat), the Notification Center, Facebook integration, Gatekeeper (for safer downloading), system updater Power Nap, and a faster Safari browser.
“People are going to love the new features in Mountain Lion and how easy it is to download and install from the Mac App Store,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior VP of Worldwide Marketing. “With iCloud integration, Mountain Lion is even easier to set up, and your important information stays up to date across all your devices so you can keep editing documents, taking notes, creating reminders, and continue conversations whether you started on a Mac, iPhone or iPad.”
“Does Mountain Lion justify its $20 price tag? Yes. Of course it does. If you’re an OS X user with a reasonably new piece of hardware, stop what you’re doing and upgrade now. There are 200 features here — odds are you’re going to discover a couple you like,” notes Engadget in its extensive review.
“In our time with the new operating system, we experienced no major issues; just rare hiccups that can are likely to be fixed in a system update. Heck, even the installation went smoothly. Apple devotees will find a lot to like amid the long list of tweaks and new features.”
Trapit’s personalized Web search is now available for the iPad. Trapit launched in 2011 as a way for Internet users to customize Web searches in a Pandora-like style. Its free iPad version makes the most of touch interface design and personalization.
“Trapit was spun out of the same DARPA-funded project that spawned Siri, and uses the same AI technology, just applied to search discovery rather than a virtual personal assistant,” reports Digital Trends.
The review suggests that while Trapit works as a novelty as a browser app, it “really makes sense” for tablets and stands out based on its personalization and superior sources.
Trapit differentiates itself from other apps such as Flipboard and Zite that use social media to customize news feeds, by recognizing that users do not necessarily want to read what their Facebook friends are interested in.
As users read stories on Trapit, they can choose to save, share, or thumbs up/thumbs down the stories. This allows Trapit to personalize news based on the interests of the user rather than the interests of their friends. Additionally, Trapit pulls content from 120,000 sources (more than Google News).
Overall, the review notes a positive step for mobile search and personalization for tablets. “You’re kept within the Trapit app the entire time; links, video, photos, sharing — nothing will pop you out of the Trapit experience — a nice, fluid approach,” comments Digital Trends.
Thursday will be an important day for Facebook, when the company releases its first earnings numbers since going public.
“The stakes could not be higher,” suggests The New York Times. “Facebook made its initial public offering in May with an eye-poppingly high valuation, but its share price has stagnated since then. Advertising, largely in the United States, accounts for the bulk of its revenue, and the company is under intense pressure to show that it is growing fast enough to justify its high value.”
“Since the public offering, Wall Street has tempered its expectations for Facebook’s advertising revenue, and shares closed Friday at $28.76, down from their initial price of $38,” notes the article.
Facebook’s greatest asset is the personal data it collects from its 900 million users. However, Google takes in about $40 billion in annual revenue from advertising — 10 times Facebook’s current advertising numbers.
“Advertisers need more proof that actual advertising on Facebook offers a return on investment,” explains eMarketer analyst Debra Aho Williamson. “There is such disagreement over whether Facebook is the next big thing on the Internet or whether it’s going to fail miserably.”
The behavior-tracking Facebook Exchange and targeted banner advertisements on gaming site Zynga are among the social network’s latest efforts in this space.
“Orbitz, the travel company, is among the advertisers that are trying Facebook Exchange,” explains NYT. “If it sees a consumer looking for, say, a business hotel in New York, Orbitz can place an advertisement for New York hotels on that user’s Facebook page, with the hope that the user will return to the travel site and make the booking.”
In its Q2 2012 earnings report, Netflix reports that its subscriber base for domestic streaming is 23.94 million, up from the 23.41 million it reported for Q1.
As continues to be the trend, numbers are going up for streaming services and down for physical DVD rentals.
This is true for Netflix, which “added more than 530,000 domestic streaming subscribers in the quarter but reported a decline of 850,000 subscribers to its domestic DVD service,” according to CNET.
“While that means the total number of Netflix’s net U.S. subscriptions shrunk by 320,000, the company still managed to increase the number of U.S. subscribers by 420,000,” explains the article. “The difference between subscriptions and subscribers is that ‘unique subscribers’ counts people and not the types of accounts. So, for example, if people dropped their DVD subscription they might have remained as a streaming customer and weren’t counted among the ‘net new subscription additions.'”
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has suggested that DVD subscriptions would drop. He’s right, of course, but “what’s shocking is that customers aren’t moving over to streaming at the same pace they’re dropping their DVD subscriptions,” notes the article.
According to CNET: “Netflix reported a profit of $6 million, or 11 cents per share, for the second quarter on revenue of $889 million,” marking a 91 percent decrease in profit from last year’s $68 million earnings.
“We have yet to see Hulu Plus or Amazon Prime Instant Video gain meaningful traction relative to our viewing hours, but as we continue to build a domestic profit stream they are likely to increase their efforts to gain viewing share,” says Hastings. “Redbox Instant by Verizon, once they launch, will face a big challenge to break into the top 3 of subscription streaming services.”
Coinstar subsidiary Redbox is finally getting closer to making its streaming service a reality.
“In February the DVD vending company announced a partnership with Verizon that would finally usher the Walmart staple into the 21st century,” and provide a streaming option for customers, reports Engadget.
According to the press release: “The venture’s services will offer all of the convenience, simplicity and value of Redbox new release DVD and Blu-ray Disc rentals combined with a new content-rich video on-demand streaming and download service from Verizon.”
Sources indicate that “Redbox Instant by Verizon” will enter an internal alpha this week, meaning it will begin to test out and fine-tune the service. A beta program is expected in the coming months before the service goes live sometime later this year.
“For consumers eager to have an alternative to Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and HBO Go, the news is bittersweet in its hurry-up-and-wait nature,” notes Fast Company in a related post. “Redbox Instant will be a subscription-based service, as executives at both Coinstar and Verizon have indicated, but the company will still not provide any insight into subscription rates, studio content, or how the physical and digital parts of the service will be combined.”
The joint venture will be managed by newly appointed CEO Shawn Strickland, who formerly served as a vice president for Verizon FiOS.
Expanding upon its eCrime Unit founded in December 2011, California Attorney General Kamala Harris has announced the creation of the Privacy Enforcement and Protection Unit.
“The Privacy Unit will police the privacy practices of individuals and organizations to hold accountable those who misuse technology to invade the privacy of others,” explained Harris in a statement.
“The creation of the Privacy Enforcement and Protection Unit reflects growing concern among regulators at both a state and federal level that privacy in the information age hasn’t been adequately addressed,” reports InformationWeek.
“A series of online privacy controversies such as Google’s bypass of privacy controls in Apple’s Safari browser earlier this year and Apple’s compilation of unprotected location data on iPhones last year have piqued the interest of lawmakers,” adds the article.
The department aims to protect consumers by enforcing laws of online privacy, identity theft and data breaches — in addition to non-tech issues related to health, financial privacy and government records.
“Harris was responsible for working with Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, HP, Microsoft, and RIM to form an agreement earlier this year that requires app developers to include privacy policies in an effort to promote transparency,” reports The Verge.
“The Attorney General’s office will meet with these companies soon to ensure their compliance with the California’s Online Privacy Protection Act, and has said that the state will sue companies and developers who don’t take the policy seriously,” notes the post.
Just how leery is the American public when it comes to information they read online?
A new study from Harris Interactive found that 98 percent of Americans do not trust information located on the Internet.
According to the survey of 1,900 respondents, 94 percent believe “bad things can happen as a result of acting on inaccurate information online.”
The top reasons for distrusting online content: too many ads (59 percent), outdated information (56 percent), self-promotional information (53 percent) and unfamiliar forums (45 percent).
“The 94 percent who worried that ‘bad things’ could happen were mostly concerned about wasting their time (67 percent),” notes Mashable. “Other fears included getting a computer virus (63 percent), losing money (51 percent), risk of fraud (51 percent) and damaging their credibility (36 percent).”
Consulting firm Capgemini reports that brick-and-mortar stores are finally realizing the importance of customer relationship management. A new study found that more than half of shoppers believe physical stores will serve solely as showrooms by 2020.
“According to the report, which was based on interviews with 16,000 consumers from 16 countries, 51 percent of respondents said that, in the next eight years, they expect retail locations to be showrooms for selecting and ordering products,” reports GigaOM. “In developing markets, the study said the percentages were higher but that at least one third of the respondents in more developed markets agreed with the assessment.”
In recent months, it has become clear that cost-conscious shoppers are leaning toward the “showrooming” trend — checking out new products in a store, but then making their purchases online where better deals and price comparisons are clicks away.
The growth of online shopping sites, mobile phones and shopping apps have led to new options for smart shoppers. “As more consumers reference their mobile phones in-store (52 percent according to a recent Pew study), many are realizing that they can find better prices or deals elsewhere, often online,” notes the post.
Some retailers are fighting the trend with new initiatives intended to keep customers happy. Retailers such as Walmart, Macy’s and Sears are increasing customer support with the implementation of payment booths, drive-through customer service centers, pickup locations and other services that blend online and offline.
Best Buy recently announced it will redesign its stores to become more Apple-like, including new features such as a product support center (similar to Apple’s Genius Bar) and the ability to pay from the floor rather than standing in line at the register.
“As the Capgemini report found, the digital shopper isn’t just digital and expects to be served seamlessly across all channels, physical and digital,” concludes GigaOM. “That goes for Amazon shoppers, too.”
According to a Harris Interactive survey, 44 percent of U.S. adults (18 to 44) plan to use at least two personal devices to follow the 2012 summer Olympic games.
About 14 percent say they plan to use three or more devices. Additionally, roughly one-third of those surveyed 55 and older will follow coverage on two or more devices.
“Audiences are taking advantage of the proliferation of tablet computers and handsets that surf the Web to complement their experience of televised sports and other programming,” reports Businessweek. “That is influencing how companies tailor the marketing messages as more consumers use social-media tools such as Facebook and Twitter to interact while they watch.”
Organizers are anticipating that as many as 4 billion people around the world will watch the London Olympics and Paralympic Games on TV.
“This survey reveals that a significant number of Americans are choosing to get their Olympic updates on the go, and while doing so, they’re overwhelmingly turning to mobile browsers,” says Krishna Subramanian of mobile marketing tech provider Velti.
The summer Olympics coverage is scheduled to begin Friday, July 27.
According to a study from Harris Interactive, Netflix and Google-owned YouTube are the leading “must-have” streaming-video apps among smart TV owners and also among those who don’t own an Internet-connected television.
The next most popular apps are Amazon Instant Video, Facebook and Pandora.
“The Harris Poll of 2,634 U.S. adults also found that about three-quarters of non-smart TV owners said they aren’t that familiar (39 percent) or not at all familiar (33 percent) with smart TVs or Internet-connected TVs,” notes Home Media Magazine.
Harris indicates that only 7 percent of those unfamiliar with smart TVs are considering to purchase a new set in the next year, whereas 29 percent of non-smart TV owners who are familiar with the device are likely to make a new purchase.
“As the TV becomes a more overall entertainment device, it is only a matter of time before we see the mainstream use of additional content apps, such as Facebook, being used on the TV,” suggests Manny Flores, SVP at Harris Interactive.
“Yet, manufacturers and retailers evidently have to do a much better job of educating their consumers on what a smart TV is and the benefits of a smart TV experience,” adds Flores. “Increased familiarity appears to be the key to driving purchase consideration.”
Last week, ETCentric reported on the Ptch mobile app from DreamWorks Animation that enables users to create multimedia compositions and share them through social networks. This week we have a similar tool that leverages multiple “producers” based on their proximity to each other.
Vyclone is a new “social video creation, collaboration, and sharing app for the iPhone and iPod touch,” reports Mashable.
The free app enables multiple users within physical proximity of each other to create a collaborative video with multiple angles. Vyclone can even be used by others shooting iPhone videos who do not know each other or may not be aware the other people are recording video.
“Vyclone uses the GPS in your iPhone to determine your location,” notes the post. “If you’re recording a video with the app at the same time and place as another person, then the app will automatically edit together your two videos into one ultimate video mix. Bring four people together in the same spot and Vycone will combine all four video streams into a single synchronized mix.”
Completed videos can be shared with just the people you’ve linked to on Vyclone or everyone. They can also be shared on Facebook and Twitter.
The Vyclone site features sample videos created by early users.
At the Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference in Aspen last week, panels addressed the future of entertainment.
“Neil Smit, president of Comcast Cable and Anne Sweeney, president of Disney/ABC Television Group talked about how the two organizations agree on a strategy for ‘TV Everywhere,’ letting Comcast subscribers receive Disney content on any device,” reports PC Magazine. “Most interestingly, it is a ten-year deal, even though technology may change a lot over that time.”
Smit pointed out that Comcast is working to make identification and authentication easier for consumers.
“As TV is now available on more platforms, the ratings have gone down but overall TV-watching is up,” explains the article. “Including video on demand does change how the content is viewed and this is impacting scheduling, Sweeney said.”
NBA commissioner David Stern and Turner Broadcasting CEO Phil Kent discussed how live sports and social media are evolving.
“Social media has been a big part of fan engagement for the NBA, Stern said. The personalities in the league have led to enormous interest and social media has given the opportunity for the community to be more interactive.”
Stern said that the NBA retains the rights to its games, but that in general, social media involving fan videos on YouTube is still great for the game. Kent added that anything driving fan engagement leads to increased viewership.
In a related Brainstorm Tech post from Fortune, Jason Hirschhorn, CEO of ReDEF Group, moderates a panel on TV Everywhere and the future of video across multiple platforms. The 58-minute video features Courtney Holt of Maker Studios, Alan Patricof of Greycroft Partners, David Rhodes of CBS News, Eric Solomon of Nielsen and Anthony Wood of Roku.
DirecTV and Viacom reached a new long-term carriage agreement on Friday to restore Viacom-owned channels to subscribers of the satellite TV provider.
As previously reported, the channels (including MTV, Comedy Central, BET and Nickelodeon) had been unavailable to DirecTV’s 20 million customers since July 10.
“Financial and other terms weren’t disclosed, but sources said the deal will run for seven years,” notes The Hollywood Reporter. “DirecTV will carry all 26 Viacom channels, or 17 when excluding HD feeds, but said it is not required to carry Epix, the premium TV joint venture of Viacom, Lionsgate and MGM.”
“In addition to the channels’ return, DirecTV customers will also gain the ability to see Viacom programming on tablets, laptops, handhelds and other personal devices via the DirecTV Everywhere platform,” according to the satellite TV company.
“The attention surrounding this unnecessary and ill-advised blackout by Viacom has accomplished one key thing: It serves notice to all media companies that bullying TV providers and their customers with blackouts won’t get them a better deal,” said Derek Chang, executive vp of content strategy and development for DirecTV. “It’s high time programmers ended these anti-consumer blackouts once and for all and prove our industry is about enabling people to connect to their favorite programs rather than denying them access.”
Sony has announced its new Walkman F800 music player, an Android-powered challenger to Apple’s iPod touch.
“Announced alongside several more basic Walkman music players, the F800 takes some of the Xperia smartphone range’s style, throws out the phone functionality, and concentrates on audio prowess instead,” reports Digital Trends.
The F800 features a 3.5-inch screen, Tegra 2 dual-core processor, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, a pre-installed maps app, and direct access to the Google Play Store. It supports a variety of audio and video codecs including MP3, WMA, HE-AAC, PCM, MPEG4, AVC, WMV and FLAC.
“Sony has packed in its S-Master MX Digital amplifier, Clear Audio technology and the little device has an X-Loud speaker system too,” notes the post.
The new player uses Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which should give it an edge over Samsung’s Galaxy Player 3.6 that still uses Android 2.3 Gingerbread.
“On the whole, that’s a decent and somewhat original set of features for a Walkman player,” reports CNET in a related post. “Yet, at $269 (or $299, depending on the memory size) the F800 doesn’t have enough on paper to entice anyone with an existing music player to make the switch. The promised battery life (20 hours of audio playback and 4.5 hours for video) is just average, and with just 16GB and 32GB version available, Sony didn’t push the boundaries of capacity.”
Sony also unveiled the E470 player, targeting a more cost-conscious market. The E470 is Sony’s slimmest Walkman to date, and will run $79 for the 4GB model, $89 for 8GB, and $109 for the 16GB version.
DreamWorks Animation launched a new mobile app for the iPhone and iPad this week. “Ptch” is an app from the first start-up launched through DWA.
The app “allows users to easily create and share personalized multimedia compositions called ‘ptches,’ using videos, photos, and music from their own mobile devices and social feeds,” reports Forbes.
“With the ability to use media assets from Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Google+, Tumblr, Twitter, and Viddy, the platform allows you to easily move pictures and video snippets around into frames that combine into one-minute video creations,” explains the article.
Users can produce the videos with fonts, colors, graphics and music (up to 100 hit songs included in the app) to tell a story in video form. And if producers would like to share the assets that comprise their videos, other users can use them to remix new videos.
“We talk about this as what we’re calling ‘living media,’” says Ed Leonard, CEO of Ptch and former CTO of Dreamworks. “What we’re thinking about is five years from now, everything is going to be living media. You see something you like, quickly change it a bit, and share it. It’s the idea of reshaping things.”
The article includes a 2-minute promotional video and links to samples of ptches made by early users.
The latest version of Apple OS X, Mountain Lion, just hit the App Store for $19.99.
