Bigmouthmedia Search Engine News: /mobile-web/

Social media has grown up

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 06:37:00 GMT

A new study has declared that social networks are no longer in their infancy and have graduated to a new phase of development.

The research by Nielsen and NM Incite found people are now spending more time on social media than any other category of online sites.

Facebook remains the most popular social network, with 152.2 million people accessing it every day on their PC and a further 78.4 million and 74.3 million logging on through mobile apps and browsers respectively.

According to the report, desktop users now spend 20 per cent of their time online on a social network whilst it accounts for 30 per cent of mobile consumer's time. This equated to 121 billion minutes in July 2012, a rise of 33 billion minutes compared with the same month a year ago.

The research found Pinterest had the most successful 2012 of the newer social media networks, with it experiencing the largest growth in the time users spent on the site along with a 1047 per cent rise in the number of unique audience visits it received each month.

The researchers behind the report believe mobile devices are going to play an important role in social media's future, stating that, "The recent proliferation of mobile devices and connectivity helped fuel the continued growth of social media.

"While the computer remains as the predominant device for social media access, consumers' time spent with social media on mobile apps and the mobile web has increased 63 per cent in 2012, compared to the same period last year."

In total the amount of people accessing all social media via a mobile device almost doubled in 2012, with 85.5 million using an app and 81.1 million using a browser.

Digg | delicious | Reddit | Google | Twitter | Sphinn | StumbleUpon | YahooBuzz | Facebook | Mixx | Contact bigmouthmedia

First 4G tests show coverage is patchy

Wed, 21 Nov 2012 03:36:00 GMT

Following the first large scale test of EE's 4G network in Manchester, it has been revealed less than half of the city centre has access to the high speed network.

Mobile coverage firm RootMetrics conducted the study, which found just 40.2 per cent of test locations in the English city had access to the 4G network and outside the city centre there was no 4G access at all. However, the study did find faster 4G speeds indoors, reported the BBC.

In Manchester city centre where 4G was available, the average speed recorded was 17Mbps (megabits per second), and over all areas EE averaged a download speed of 7.6Mbps. The recorded speed still doubled that of Vodafone - the next fastest operator - which in other tests recorded an average speed of 3.1Mbps. In everyday use, this equates to a song taking 15-25 seconds to download, as opposed to a minute on a 3G network.

"Although EE's 4G service is much faster than any network currently available in the UK, our testing shows that 4G connections are not consistent even within a nominated area," Bill Moore, chief executive of RootMetric, told the BBC.

"Customers need to be aware of this as there will be an expectation of blistering fast mobile internet speeds whenever they use their phones."

Moore added 4G has offered an uplift to typical indoor speeds: "You would never get the indoor speeds we have seen without 4G. The figures are far in excess of what 3G is capable of on average."

A spokesperson from EE told the BBC 4G rollout was ongoing, that "every day we expand coverage."

Digg | delicious | Reddit | Google | Twitter | Sphinn | StumbleUpon | YahooBuzz | Facebook | Mixx | Contact bigmouthmedia

Google leak Google Wallet card info

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 00:13:00 GMT

Following a leak from an anonymous tipster last week, Google has added fuel to the rumour a physical Google Wallet card is on its way by briefly mentioning the card on its website.

TechCrunch posted screenshots from 'Eligible Devices' in the Help section of the Google Wallet site, which reference the yet-to-be announced Google Wallet card compatible with the Android 2.3.3 OS or higher.

Last week the Android Police blog also obtained screenshots of an unreleased version of the Google Wallet for Android app which mentioned a Google Wallet card - designed for use when the tap-and-pay feature was unavailable. The screenshots gave details of the card, such as using it in place of debit or credit card, paying for purchases with a swipe and also loading existing cards to the Google Wallet online service.

Now experts believe the mention of the card on the Google Wallet help page - which has since been removed - is an indication a formal announcement isn't far away.

Currently, the Google Wallet Virtual Card is only available at retailers who accept contactless payments and exists as an app on Android handsets. While contactless payment is accepted at 100,000 retail locations in the US, Google's mobile payment service runs on only 10 smartphones - those with NFC chips built in.

"We feel like we're making a huge difference on transaction volume," Osama Bedier, Google's vice president of wallet and payments, said at a Global Mobile Internet Conference in California last month. "We didn't think NFC was just going to happen in a single year. This is a three-to-five-year game.

"The problem is, there's a lot of ideas and not a lot of problems being solved. There's room for multiple solutions ... but each solution has to have a value proposition."

The introduction of a physical Google Wallet card would allow customers without NFC equipped phones to use the payment service, as well as those with devices which block the Google Wallet app - Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile have launched payment service Isis in direct competition to Google.

Digg | delicious | Reddit | Google | Twitter | Sphinn | StumbleUpon | YahooBuzz | Facebook | Mixx | Contact bigmouthmedia

Smartphone users add two hours to their working day

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 09:24:00 GMT

New research claims users with internet and email facilities on their phones spend an extra two hours every day checking their smartphones.

The study conducted by researchers at Pixmania revealed people with smartphones check their messages an average of 20 times a day. With nearly nine out of ten employees choosing to access emails.

A separate study by TripAdvisor also found the majority of people check their emails whilst on holiday and take time out to call their workplace.

Pixmania's study discovered the average working day is now 12 hours long as users spend around nine or 10 hours at work, then an additional two reading and sending emails and making calls. One in ten admitted to spending around three hours per day checking emails at work either on their smartphone or computer.

The survey also found the first time people usually checked their emails was between 6am and 7am.

"Many companies expect their employees to be on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and smartphones mean that people literally cannot get away from work. The more constantly in contact we become, the more is expected of us in a work capacity," marketing director Ghadi Hobeika told the Telegraph.

Digg | delicious | Reddit | Google | Twitter | Sphinn | StumbleUpon | YahooBuzz | Facebook | Mixx | Contact bigmouthmedia

Google announces Hurricane Sandy tracker

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 08:37:00 GMT

Google has announced the launch of interactive maps, which will allow users to track the path of Hurricane Sandy.

The map includes information on nearby evacuation centres and emergency shelters set up by the Red Cross.

Google was also due to launch its new product the Nexus 4, but was cancelled due to the events location now being an evacuation zone.

"The Google crisis response team has assembled a Hurricane Sandy map to help you track the storm's progress and provide updated emergency information," wrote Google software engineer Ka-Phing Yee on the firm's blog.

"We hope that you get the information you need to make preparations and stay safe if you are in the area.

"We will let you know our plans as soon as we know more," Google's Android team said in a statement announcing the cancellation of the event because of the hurricane.

Social media giant Facebook has also cancelled two New York events, both the announcement of its Facebook Gifts facility and an engineering open house day. People are taking to their social media accounts to locate and share updates regarding the Hurricane.

"I've found the most up-to-date information on Facebook and Twitter rather than the more traditional news sites, albeit the Facebook/Twitter accounts of certain news sites in some cases," assistant professor at Parsons The New School for Design Timo Rissanen told the BBC.

"The Consulate General of Finland in New York was doing a sterling job last night providing information on Facebook."

Digg | delicious | Reddit | Google | Twitter | Sphinn | StumbleUpon | YahooBuzz | Facebook | Mixx | Contact bigmouthmedia

Apple launches iPad Mini

Thu, 25 Oct 2012 07:49:00 GMT

Apple has made its foray into the small tablet market with the widely-anticipated iPad Mini. The 7.9 inch tablet was unveiled at an event in California and will be available to buy in the UK from 2 November.

Phil Schiller, vice-president of marketing at Apple, told event attendees the new tablet is 23 per cent thinner and 53 per cent lighter than the third-generation iPad, which was released earlier this year.

"iPad mini is every inch an iPad," Schiller said in a press release.

"With its gorgeous 7.9-inch display, iPad mini features the same number of pixels as the original iPad and iPad 2, so you can run more than 275,000 apps designed specifically for iPad.

"iPad mini is as thin as a pencil and as light as a pad of paper, yet packs a fast A5 chip, FaceTime HD and 5 megapixel iSight cameras and ultrafast wireless - all while delivering up to 10 hours of battery life."

The wi-fi only model with 16GB of storage will directly compete with similar products from Google, Samsung and Amazon. The launch of the iPad Mini ends months of speculation the company would offer a smaller version of its bestselling iPad, despite late founder Steve Jobs being quoted as saying the 7 inch tablets available were "too small".

Price played a major part in Apple's decision to make a smaller, cheaper tablet, with competition coming from Google's Nexus 7 at £159.

Principal analyst at Ovum, Adam Leach, told the BBC he expected the iPad Mini - which comes with a price tag of £269 - to be more competitively priced.

"We got a mix of a bit of new Apple and bit of old Apple in the same announcement," Leach said. "This is new for Apple to be responding to competitors instead of pioneering their own way.

"It's old Apple as they've gone into this market with a premium pricing strategy. At the moment this doesn't place a lot of pressure on the Kindle Fire or the Nexus 7."

Digg | delicious | Reddit | Google | Twitter | Sphinn | StumbleUpon | YahooBuzz | Facebook | Mixx | Contact bigmouthmedia

Apple hints at release of new iPad mini

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 06:24:00 GMT

Technology giant Apple has released invitations for what is rumoured to be the launch of a new mini iPad.

The company has issued invites reading "We've got a little more to show you" and the event is said to be taking place in San Jose, California on the 23rd October.

Industry insiders speculate the iPad has a 7-8 inch screen, making it the smallest iPad yet. Both the similar Amazon Kindle Fire and Google's Nexus 7 have enjoyed record sales this year with users who wish to own a smaller and more compact device.

Reports by iHS iSuppli suggested that Apple have shipped 17 million tablets between April and June alone and dominate the market considerably, up to 70 per cent.

"There are clear limits of how close you can physically place elements on a touchscreen before users cannot reliably tap, flick or pinch them," Apple's former boss Steve Jobs told analysts in October 2012 according to Seeking Alpha.

"This is one of the key reasons we think the 10-inch screen size is the minimum size required to create great tablet apps... 7-inch tablets are tweeners, too big to compete with a smartphone and too small to compete with an iPad."

The news comes as Amazon's chief executive Jeff Bezos recently admitted that his firm sold Kindle tablets are break even prices, in a bid to increase user spending from his store in an interview with the BBC.

If the rumours are true, Apple's very own iPad mini will have to compete with market opponents such as the Google Nexus 7, Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7" and the Blackberry Playbook among others, all of which can be purchased for under £200 in the UK. Microsoft Surface tablets are also set to go on sale on October 26th.

Digg | delicious | Reddit | Google | Twitter | Sphinn | StumbleUpon | YahooBuzz | Facebook | Mixx | Contact bigmouthmedia

Windows set to release its own phone?

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 03:49:00 GMT

Claims have emerged that Windows is set build its own smartphone handset.

The computing giant has already collaborated on models with Nokia, Samsung and HTC but it is believed the company wants to have complete control over its own hardware to demonstrate the full capabilities of the new Windows 8 operating system.

The claims were made on both The China Times and WPCentral, with them pointing to increased security procedures at certain Microsoft offices plus tip-offs from unnamed sources.

Industry expert Daniel Rubino has speculated at the motivation behind Microsoft's change in strategy, claiming on WPCentral that it could be, "in case the Windows Phone 8 launch doesn't go well and the currently announced devices don't catch on. Nokia could be in trouble financially and Microsoft would need another dedicated hardware partner."

It is rumoured the phone has already been developed and is currently undergoing testing, with an intended release date sometime after HTC's latest model.

The move would confirm Microsoft's intentions to increase its presence in the mobile computing market place, with the company having recently announced it will release its own tablet device. The Surface is also intended to showcase the potential of Windows 8, with its development conducted in secret in a process similar to that of the rumoured smartphone.

Whilst Microsoft's new operating system has received strong reviews on the phones it has been licensed to, sales have struggled to match those of market leaders Apple or Android. Like the Surface, it is believed that any smartphone would attempt to be more powerful and quicker in order to gain an edge over its rival models.

Digg | delicious | Reddit | Google | Twitter | Sphinn | StumbleUpon | YahooBuzz | Facebook | Mixx | Contact bigmouthmedia

Amazon unveils new Kindle Fire HD tablet family

Fri, 07 Sep 2012 05:49:00 GMT

Amazon has unveiled three new iterations of the Kindle Fire at a press conference in California.

The new devices - all under the Kindle Fire moniker - come in three separate models. The Kindle Fire HD in 7in screen, as well as a second 8.9in screen - which will put the tablet in direct competition with Apple's popular offering, the iPad.

The third device keeps much of the same specs as the original Kindle Fire, but cuts the price considerably.

HD models will feature stereo speakers, an HDMI port, and a laminated touchscreen to help reduce glare in sunlight. Two wi-fi antennas and multiple-input and multiple-output radio wave technology is designed to improve internet connectivity. The 8.9in device - only available in the US - can also be purchased with 4G connectivity.

"This could easily be the product that beats the iPad particularly for those of us who are readers, easy and innovative in design and use, with unique features like X-Ray which allows you to become far more intimate with what you are reading," Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group, told the BBC.

Francisco Jeronimo, research manager at IDC, echoed Enderle, saying: "Amazon's tablet provides a richer user experience than the Google Nexus 7 or any other 10in Android tablet on the market - the content is embedded in the hardware in such a way that it seems a feature of it and not an application that comes with it for users to open when they need access to media."

However, other industry experts are more cautious. "On paper the Kindle Fire HD is a good product but we shouldn't get carried away," said Chris Green, principal analyst at Davies Murphy Group Europe.
"The Android market is deeply competitive and there are better specced models out there, so it's not going to run away with the whole market.

"Also we have still to hear from Apple about its new iPhone and a rumoured smaller iPad, both of which will impact sales."

Digg | delicious | Reddit | Google | Twitter | Sphinn | StumbleUpon | YahooBuzz | Facebook | Mixx | Contact bigmouthmedia

Obama uses Reddit to engage with voters

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 03:25:00 GMT

President Barack Obama shocked Reddit users yesterday by starting a hastily arranged online discussion with them.

The Commander-in-Chief took to the social media site to engage in an 'ask me anything' session with American voters.

The session, which was only announced on the President's Twitter account earlier in the day, resulted in the Reddit site crashing during his half hour conversation.

The President was asked over 10,000 questions on the discussion thread but chose to respond to only a few, largely policy motivated, enquiries. After being asked about the emerging debate surrounding internet freedom, he responded by stating that, "Internet freedom is something I know you all care passionately about; I do too.

"We will fight hard to make sure that the internet remains the open forum for everybody - from those who are expressing an idea to those to want to start a business."

Obama also spoke of the importance of the US maintaining its place at the forefront of space exploration following Neil Armstrong's passing and the need to protect the election process from big business donors and super-PACs.

The President's appearance on Reddit will only cement his image as the social media leader in politics. Last year he also participated in a 'Twitter Town Hall' where he answered questions from citizens whilst relaxing in the White House.

The discussion came as Obama's political rivals gathered in Florida at the Republican Party convention. This November's presidential election is set to be a fiercely contested affair, with Mitt Romney only trailing by a few points in the polls.

Obama's use of social media is seen as a way to reach out to undecided voters as well as invigorating his core support and often apathetic young people.

Digg | delicious | Reddit | Google | Twitter | Sphinn | StumbleUpon | YahooBuzz | Facebook | Mixx | Contact bigmouthmedia