A report from Experian Hitwise found that March was a good month for Google+. The new social network that has been criticized as being a ghost town, experienced 27 percent growth last month and had a total of 61 million visits.
The report comes shortly after Google CEO Larry Page claimed that Google+ now has 100 million active users, although he didn’t specify how he defines “active.”
This is good news for Google after an earlier report from comScore saw that Facebook usage dwarfed that of Google+, where users spent an average of 3.3 minutes in January compared with Facebook’s average of 7.5 hours.
“Google, which took issue with that data, asserted that 50 million users access ‘Google+-enhanced’ products daily and that 100 million do so once per month. However, ‘Google+-enhanced’ includes YouTube, Google Play and the company’s homepage,” Mashable reports.
While apps may cost only a few dollars and many are free, users are increasingly required to “pay” with personal information. This can include email addresses, current location, work history, birthdays — even sexual preferences, and religious and political affiliations. Moreover, some apps require users to disclose the personal information of their friends as well.
App developers are compiling large databases of user information to be used by advertisers, app makers and other unspecified users — which are often not disclosed.
While Facebook requires apps to ask for permission before accessing personal information, that does not always happen. And Facebook does not always enforce their own privacy rules.
Interestingly, apps that frequently ask for permission are disregarded by users as they get increasingly accustomed to the alerts.
“Up until a few years ago, such vast and easily accessible repositories of personal information were all but nonexistent. Their advent is driving a profound debate over the definition of privacy in an era when most people now carry information-transmitting devices with them all the time,” reports the Wall Street Journal.
Twitter is suing five different Web tools and providers that allegedly help spammers flood their network.
The suits are clearly aimed to send a message that spamming via Twitter will not be tolerated as it is clearly stated in The Twitter Rules.
Defendants in the suit include TweetAttacks, TweetAdder, TweetBuddy, James Lucero of justinlover.info and Garland Harris of troption.com.
“Twitter now has more than 140 million active users, and we continue to grow at a record pace,” Twitter said in a statement. “As our reach expands, we become a more attractive target for spammers. Even though spam is a small fraction of the content you can find on Twitter, we know just how distracting it can be.”
“Taking legal action sends a clear message to all would-be spammers that there are serious and costly consequences to violating our Rules with their annoying and potentially malicious activity,” explains the statement.
Twitter is not the first social network to take legal action against spammers. Facebook and Google have filed similar suits in recent years.
A group of Reddit users have formed a political action committee called TestPAC to campaign against Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), an author of the Stop Online Piracy Act. Thus far, they have raised $10,000 towards a $25,000 goal.
“I would say that our biggest concern is removing Lamar Smith from Congress, due to the fact that he has made it clear he would rather listen to corporate entertainment rather than his constituents,” explains Jerome Whalen, TestPAC chair. “We want to make TestPAC a campaign for national awareness for the rights of Americans in the digital age.”
In related news, former chief technology policy officer for the MPAA, Paul Brigner is now head of the North America sector of the non-profit Internet Society, an entity against the SOPA legislation.
Brigner has changed camps on the controversial piracy proposal, saying, “I firmly believe that we should not be legislating technological mandates to protect copyright — including SOPA and Protect IP.”
In a statement posted to CNET, Brigner added: “The more I became educated on the realities of these issues, the more I came to the realization that a mandated technical solution just isn’t mutually compatible with the health of the Internet.”
Hollywood is far from giving up on the bills, according to MPAA chief Christopher Dodd who feels confident that President Obama will advance the measure using his strong relationships with both Hollywood and Silicon Valley. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, another SOPA ally, said it will also remain dedicated to working with Congress on the issue.
The proposed Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) is drawing negative response from Internet users, already inspiring an online petition against it with soaring numbers. But unlike SOPA, CISPA is receiving support, not opposition, from the large Internet companies.
The proposed bill purports to protect online companies from cyber threats by allowing companies and the government to share information. However, Digital Trends points out that the legislation “places absolutely no explicit limits on the type of information that may be shared with the government, or between private companies, as long as it is somehow related to cyber threats.”
Facebook, Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, Intel, AT&T, Verizon and other influential companies have already sent letters of support to Congress. “Whereas SOPA and PIPA were bad for many companies that do business on the Internet, and burdened them with the unholy task of policing the Web (or facing repercussions if they didn’t), this bill makes life easier for them; it removes regulations and the risk of getting sued for handing over our information to The Law,” explains the article.
If consumers want to overturn the legislation, they need to get the Internet companies on their side. Otherwise, there won’t likely be any blackouts this time around and CISPA will probably be passed, warns Digital Trends writer Andrew Couts.
For those looking for a mid-range solution to photo editing — one that falls somewhere between a basic free option and the $699-999 Photoshop — PhotoDirector 3 is worth a look.
Digital Trends offers a hands-on evaluation of the recently released $120 software that addresses features, the interface, and comparisons to other software.
“Navigating the software is quite simple — you have a mere five categories under which lie all of your tools,” explains the review. “You’ll spend most of your editing time existing within ‘Adjustments’ and ‘Edits.’ The client isn’t text heavy, but it doesn’t rely on icons like Photoshop does.”
Digital Trends praises the filters and effects available with PhotoDirector, but misses the layering capabilities of Photoshop. However, the review suggests that PhotoDirector’s UI is far superior to any of the currently available free software options.
According to the post: “…reliant on shape warping or insert text? Then this isn’t for you. Simply want good exposure control, levels, and content aware masking? Then you may have found your $120 match.”
While the iPad has been considered primarily a consumption tool, the newest wave of apps are creation tools that focus on authoring and artistic endeavors.
Snapguide gives anyone the tools to easily make their own how-to guides. According to GigaOM, founder Daniel Raffel has been fielding positive responses: “He’s barely been sleeping, staying up to answer a constant stream of feedback emails about his very slick and good-looking iOS app that helps people easily make do-it-yourself guides to just about anything armed with just an iPhone and an idea.”
Additional new apps are appealing to the creative side of mobile users. For example: Paper is a drawing and journaling app, Github shows you how to code, Flickr shows off the pictures you take, and Codea allows you to create iPad apps using its touch-oriented programming language.
Codea’s creator, Simeon Nasilowski, comments on the iPad’s potential as a creation tool: “I didn’t understand why people were saying it’s just for consumption. You can run any tools you like on it, you just have to think about it from a different interaction viewpoint — not mouse and keyboard, you just need tools optimized for touch. Then it becomes quite a good creation tool.”
Google has begun testing its augmented reality glasses in public, calling it ProjectGlass.
Much to the disappointment of Engadget, the glasses are actually very subtle by design and won’t make the user stand out too much in a crowd by looking like Robocop.
“The software giant let it be known that, while it hasn’t quite got a sale date on the wearables, it’s ready to test ProjectGlass amongst the non-augmented public,” according to the post. “The company is also looking for feedback on the project, writing in a post, ‘we want to start a conversation and learn from your valuable input.'”
“The prototype version Google showed off on Wednesday looked like a very polished and well-designed pair of wrap-around glasses with a clear display that sits above the eye,” adds The New York Times in a related article. “The glasses can stream information to the lenses and allow the wearer to send and receive messages through voice commands. There is also a built-in camera to record video and take pictures.”
Google has provided a video detailing the project’s vision by showcasing how the glasses will work in daily life.
Google’s YouTube will now convert all 1080p video to 3D and allow playback to those wearing 3D glasses.
YouTube launched the 3D beta feature in September 2011. The update also eliminated the 15-minute time limit set earlier to lessen the upload of pirated movies.
“Google processes the original 2D video and creates a ‘depth map,’ looking for a combination of video characteristics such as color, spatial layout, and motion that it has ‘learned’ from other, dedicated 3D videos uploaded to the site,” reports PCMag. “The creation of the depth map adds the second image that’s needed for the 3D video.”
According to the YouTube blog: “With this broader knowledge of 3D conversion, we then apply cloud computing scalability to make conversion possible across even more videos on YouTube. Breaking up a video into tiny chunks of data and processing them in parallel on Google’s cloud infrastructure lets us process these videos, while still producing the quality you expect.”
Take a look at the linked video to see the 3D effect. You’ll need to click on the gear icon and then the 3D selection.
A reporter for Al Jazeera took his iPhone into Syria to report on the fighting between Syrian forces and the revolutionaries.
“The 25 minute documentary, ‘Syria: Songs of Defiance,’ aired on Al Jazeera’s show ‘People & Power’ last month,” reports Mashable. “Al Jazeera has not released the reporter’s name for safety reasons.”
This is a view you will not see on the major news networks. The undercover report provides clarity and perspective for a Western audience that is missing in the raw footage uploaded to YouTube by locals and “citizen journalists.”
The reporter explains that taking a camera into the region would have been extremely risky, but traveling with a phone does not draw as much attention. Precautions are still necessary, however, since the Syrian government recently banned iPhone usage.
Clearly, this video could not have been captured using a traditional news crew. This may represent the future of journalism.
The video is included at the bottom of the report.
The newest Think Quarterly, an online and print magazine Google UK publishes for partners and advertisers, focuses on Creativity.
In regards to YouTube’s New Era: “YouTube is undergoing the most profound shift in its history — licensing original programming from new creative partners. Its mission is to transform all of us into active participants in TV culture.”
“Communities are responding to each other. Someone makes a video, then others respond to it or remix it in some way. That is a different kind of entertainment. There isn’t an analog from 50 or 100 years ago. It’s a brave new world,” suggests Professor Gary Edgerton, media scholar at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, and author of “The Columbia History of American Television.”
“We are seeing a convergence in all mediums of storytelling and it’s really exciting. We’re not just looking at more specific content, but also a level of interactivity that is going to be the future of content consumption going forward… I think there will always be original, linear content but what it’s going to turn into is the integration of more user-generated content like multiple endings, or plot suggestions that are contributed interactively and create a daily experience that offers the option to consume linearly but also to ‘gamify’ content in a way that is perfectly apropos with the device you are consuming it on. I want to tell stories that are ‘5D’ in terms of interactivity,” explains Anthony Zuiker, creator of the hit TV series “CSI.”
Earlier editions are also available, including: The Speed Issue — January 2012, The People Issue — September 2011, The Innovation Issue — July 2011 and The Data Issue — March 2011.
It’s been a year since Larry Page became Google’s CEO. The following are some highlights from his 2012 update published yesterday.
“Google has so many opportunities that, unless we make some hard choices, we end up spreading ourselves too thin and don’t have the impact we want.”
“Creating a simpler, more intuitive experience across Google has been another important focus. I have always believed that technology should do the hard work — discovery, organization, communication — so users can do what makes them happiest: living and loving, not messing with annoying computers! That means making our products work together seamlessly.”
“Getting from needs to actions lightning fast is especially important on smaller devices like mobile phones, where screen size is limited and context really matters. That’s why I’m so excited about Android.”
“We have always believed that it’s possible to make money without being evil.”
“I believe that by producing innovative technology products that touch people deeply, we will enable you to do truly amazing things that change the world.”
Sam Anderson of The New York Times explores the world of addictive games, the people who create them, and how “gamification” is being used in the real world.
The article provides an interesting overview of the popularity and evolution of gaming and what Anderson refers to as “hyperaddictive stupid games.” He also examines the current definition of “games.”
For example, he suggests that Zynga’s games such as “FarmVille” and “FishVille” may need to be defined as something other than games. “They are click-machines powered by the human need to achieve progress by a predictable path and a willingness to pay small amounts of money to make that progress go faster. They are not ‘games,’” wrote Nicholas Carlson of Business Insider.
“But you could argue that games like ‘FarmVille’ are in fact just the logical end of gamification: gamified games,” comments Anderson. “They have the appearance of games, they inspire the compulsions of games, but for many people they are not fun like games.”
Anderson spoke with Frank Lantz, the creator of “Drop7” (which Anderson describes as addictive). “Games, he told me, are like ‘homebrew neuroscience’ — ‘a little digital drug you can use to run experiments on your own brain.’ Part of the point of letting them seduce you, as Lantz sees it, is to come out the other side a more interesting and self-aware person; more conscious of your habits, weaknesses, desires and strengths.”
“It’s like heroin that is abstracted or compressed or stylized,” he said. “It gives you a window into your brain that doesn’t crush your brain.”
Try out the “Asteroids” game embedded on the article’s first page. You can fly across the story!
Samsung is working with OpenX Technologies Inc. to offer an ad service called Samsung AdHub Market that will enable advertisers to run targeted messages on Samsung phones and tablets.
“The move is part of Samsung’s broader push to bring targeted advertising to electronic devices, including Internet-connected television sets,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “It also will pit the company against other mobile-ad services from Apple, Google and Millennial Media Inc., which held an initial public offering of stock last week.”
“This is the first time any device manufacturer has entered the ad tech space in this way,” said OpenX chief executive Tim Cadogan. “It is becoming very clear to the principals in the mobile space that advertising is going to be a very important part of the revenue mix.”
“According to data provided by eMarketer, spending on mobile advertising in the U.S. is expected to reach $10.8 billion in 2016, up from $2.6 billion this year,” reports WSJ. “Cadogan said he expects that OpenX, which has focused on advertising within desktop computers and is now generating more than $100 million in annual revenue, will move further into the mobile market in the future.”
The number of Windows apps is growing steadily. At the current rate of development, the 100,000 milestone could be reached by late May.
According to All About Windows Phone, the Windows Phone Marketplace now adds 340 published apps each day. There is currently a catalog of 80,000 apps for the Windows platform, up from 50,000 in December.
TechCrunch points out that the number of published apps is more than the number of apps available to consumers because Microsoft and developers will remove some applications and because not all apps work in every market. In the U.S., Windows Phone users have access to around 69,123 apps.
Even so, the Windows Phone 7 is “an excellent new mobile operating system” and “it would seem that the Windows Phone Marketplace is growing at a steady pace,” TechCrunch writes.