Bigmouthmedia Search Engine News: /trends-stats/

Rise in attempts by governments to monitor Google

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 02:13:00 GMT

Almost 21,000 requests for information were made to Google by governments in the first half of 2012.

The figure emerged as part of Google's recent Transparency Report, with the American government again the most zealous in pursuing data with 7,969 requests.

British appeals doubled to 1,425 during the first six months of 2012, with the search engine giant complying with 64 per cent of these requests.

Dorothy Chou, Google's Senior Policy Analyst, told the BBC that, "This is the sixth time we've released this data, and one trend has become clear: government surveillance is on the rise.

"It reflects laws on the ground. For example in Turkey there are specific laws about defaming public figures whereas in Germany we get requests to remove neo-Nazi content. And in Brazil we get a lot of requests to remove content during elections because there is a law banning parodies of candidates.

"We hope that the report will shed light on how governments interact with online services and how laws are reflected in online behaviour."

In total requests for user data affected 34, 614 people, with governments seeking to gain access to their search history, Gmail accounts or YouTube videos.

The Turkish government made 501 requests for content to be taken down, with the US making 273 whilst Germany was third with 247 demands. The most common reasons for removing information or online content are defamation, privacy breaches or security issues.

The report also disclosed the fact that a British law enforcement agency made 14 requests to have information criticising the police removed but Google rejected their appeals. The company also turned down a demand to remove a YouTube video that accused the police of racism.

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

Manchester named UK's top piracy city

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 08:48:00 GMT

There are more illegal downloads in Manchester per person than any other city in the UK, according to a survey studying illegally shared music.

Nottingham and Southampton followed, in second and third respectively.

Monitoring service Musicmetric collected the statistics independently in what is one of the largest analysis of its kind to be conducted.

Musicmetric monitored global activity of BitTorrent files, and concluded in the first half of 2012, UK internet users illegally downloaded more than 40 million albums and singles online.

Ed Sheeran was the UK's most pirated act - his 2011 album was downloaded illegally roughly 55,512 times a month, and was the most popular download in more than 460 cities and towns in the UK.

In contrast, legal sales of Sheeran's album for the first half of this year reached 448,000.

"According to their data, there are more illegal downloads in the UK still than there are legal purchases," the BPI's chief executive Geoff Taylor told the BBC, adding such high volumes of piracy were having a negative impact on investment in new music.

"[It] compares to about 240 million tracks that were sold legally. A lot of people are getting very rich from stealing other people's things.

"That's wrong, and we think that musicians deserve to be paid for what they do, just like everyone else."

Globally, the UK ranked second in terms of highest number of illegal downloads, trailing behind the US - which clocked 96,681,133 illegal downloads - by more than half.

Pop star Rihanna's most recent album, Talk That Talk, was the most pirated album in the world - reaching 1,228,313 downloads so far this year.

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

1 in 5 women on Pinterest

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 08:25:00 GMT

A new study into the habits of American internet users has revealed 19 per cent of women online in the US are using virtual pinboard Pinterest to find and share their interests with others.

The survey, by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, found the site is predominantly used by women - only 5 per cent of men reported using it - and is most popular with women ages 18 - 29 with a university education and annual household income of $50,000 - $75,000 (£30,000 - £45,000).

Lee Rainie, Director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project told the Telegraph: "It is usually the case that people gravitate to services that match their interests and their needs. Some of the more popular subjects on Pinterest are likely to be especially interesting to women, such as food, fashion, interior decorating and design."

The study also revealed the habits of adult users on other popular networking sites - 16 per cent of US adults reported using Twitter, 20 per cent use LinkedIn, and 66 per cent of online adults reported using Facebook.

A further 12 per cent reported using Instagram, which is dominated by users aged 18 to 29.

Users who post original content - their own photos and videos, for example - online are classified as "Creators", while users who gather images and videos found elsewhere and share them on sites like Pinterest are classified "Curators".

Of those surveyed, "Creators" made up 46 per cent of internet users, while "Curators" accounted for 41 per cent.

"The Internet has always been a platform for creators and curators," Pew Internet's Joanna Brenner, co-author of the report, said in a statement. "Now, as social media services continue to grow and expand, the tools are more visual and social, and that seems to be attracting special audiences of early adopters."

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

Windows 8 smartphone to be unveiled a week before iPhone 5

Thu, 16 Aug 2012 00:13:00 GMT

The long awaited iPhone 5 is set to see some rivalry from the new Windows 8 smartphone as bosses announce the sought after handsets will likely be unveiled within one week of each other.

The next generation iPhone is rumoured to be making its grand debut at an Apple event in San Francisco on September 12th, but it seems like they have been piped to the post by their Microsoft competitors. Nokia and Microsoft will are also set to unveil the Windows 8 smartphone in September at a joint media event in New York just one week prior.

Apple fans are delighted at reports the new iPhone will feature a larger screen than previous handset, vastly improved camera and 4G connectivity, and its even rumoured to be made of liquidmetal.

Bosses hope the Windows 8 smartphone handset will challenge competitors like Samsung's Galaxy with simple user interface and excellent operating system.

"I don't think about rewinding the clock and thinking about competing elsewhere," Stephen Elop, Nokia Chief Executive said

"In today's war... (between) Android, Apple and Windows, we are very clear, we are fighting that with the Windows Phone."

However with a global 2.3 per cent dip in mobile phone sales, it seems the world is waiting with baited breath for the new Apple iPhone.

Samsung shifted the most mobile phones in Q2 2012, grabbing 21.6 per cent of the market. Nokia trailed in second place with 19.9per cent and Apple placed third with 6.9 per cent according to recent market research by Gartner.

"While predicting the timing of the iPhone release is topical for investors, we continue to believe that whether iPhone 5 launches in the September or December quarter is largely irrelevant to the overall story, which we believe is that the new phone will be the largest consumer electronics product upgrade in history," Gene Munster, managing director and senior research analyst at Piper Jaffray, an asset management firm in the US, told the Wall Street Journal.

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

iPhone sales stall as Android growth continues

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 09:48:00 GMT

The battle for smartphone supremacy continues as new research shows sales of the iPhone have stalled in anticipation of the next generation model rumored for release in September. At the same time however, sales of Samsung smartphones continue to rise, fuelling Android's growth.

According to new figures, there has been a 2.3 per cent drop in worldwide smartphones sales, compared with the same quarter last year. Gartner's figures show this is partially due to a drop-off in sales of the iPhone as Apple enthusiasts wait for the new model to be released in September.

"Demand slowed further in the second quarter of 2012," Anshul Gupta, Gartner's principal research analyst, wrote in the report.

"The challenging economic environment and users postponing upgrades to take advantage of high-profile device launches and promotions available later in the year slowed demand across markets."

However sales of Samsung smartphones have continued to increase, with a 25 per cent increase from the second quarter of 2011. Smartphones are responsible for 50 per cent of these sales with the Galaxy S III selling 10 million units alone.

"Samsung and Apple continued to dominate the smartphone market, together taking about half the market share, and widening the gap to other manufacturers. No other smartphone vendors had share close to 10 percent," Mr. Anshul said.

"In the race to be top smartphone manufacturer in 2012, Samsung has consistently increased its lead over Apple, and its open OS market share increased to one-and-a-half times that of Apple in the second quarter of 2012."

In the OS stakes, Android are in the lead with a 64 per cent stake in the market. Apple's iOS in contrast came in a distant second with 18.8 per cent. Symbian and Research in Motion have 5 per cent, with Windows Mobile and Samsung's own Bada OS each holding a 2.7 share of the market.

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

Olympics race to 150 million tweets

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 09:01:00 GMT

The London 2012 Olympics has spurred more than 150 million tweets, according to Twitter.

The social media platform claimed that Usain Bolt's defence of his 200 metres title proved the most talked about athletic event, sparking around 80,000 tweets a minute.

Bolt's 100 metres victory also attracted an average of 74,000 tweets per minute, causing the second highest social media sporting spike of the event.

However, the inclusion of the Spice Girls in the closing ceremony sparked the most Twitter traffic of the 17 day Olympiad. At its peak, around 116,000 tweets a minute were discussing the 5-piece's reunion.

Tom Daley was the most discussed British athlete of the Games, in part due to the abusive tweets he received following his failure to win a synchronised diving medal.

Unsurprisingly, Andy Murray's maiden major tennis victory over Roger Federer also proved hugely popular on Twitter, with over 57,000 users mentioning him during the match.

In total, ten athletes attracted more than a million tweets each, with Michael Phelps coming second behind Bolt but in front of fierce swimming rival Ryan Lochte. President Obama's tweet to the swimmer to congratulate him on becoming the most successful ever Olympian was also hugely popular.

Football was the most talked about sport of the Games, attracting over 5 million Twitter mentions from users.

"The thrill of Olympic sport just wouldn't be the same without the over-the-top spectacle of the opening and closing ceremonies," Twitter's manager of editorial programming, Andrew Fitzgerald, wrote on the company blog.

"Both events drove an incredible volume of Twitter conversation, and experienced their own giant spikes in Tweets per minute."

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

Galaxy S3 generates record profits for Samsung

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 04:24:00 GMT

Samsung have reported record profits after the launch of its popular Galaxy SIII mobile, propelling the company's smartphone revenue ahead of arch rivals Apple.

Sales of the latest Galaxy mobile have helped drive Samsung profits to nearly $7 billion (£4.4 billion) for the quarter, a 79 per cent increase from 12 months ago.

At the same time, rivals Apple have recorded a 30 per cent revenue slump in the last three months, as sales of the iPhone 4S wind down.

The relative lack of change between the latest iPhone and its predecessor has allowed Samsung to forge ahead and establish itself as the smartphone tech leader, with slimmer designs and larger screens than its competitors.

Competition between the two tech giants is becoming ever fiercer, both within the marketplace and behind the scenes, as their global patent battle rages on.

Sales of the Galaxy SIII, which have recently broken the 10 million mark, are expected to continue to grow, with up to 20 million further sales of the handset predicted for the September quarter. This will extend Samsung's market lead before the arrival of Apple's widely anticipated iPhone 5, expected to launch in October.

The arrival of the iPhone 5 is anticipated to generate nearly $30 billion (£19 billion) worth of sales in the final three months of 2012. It will be the biggest product launch Apple CEO Tim Cook has handled since his appointment in August 2011.

Rival mobile manufacturer Nokia has also suffered a knock at the hands of the South Korean corporation, after they were ousted from the top spot as the world's leading handset maker for the first time in fourteen years.

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

Facebook shares take a tumble

Fri, 27 Jul 2012 04:01:00 GMT

Facebook's shares fell by 11 per cent to $23.75 (£15.11) after it posted a $157m (£100m) loss in its first quarter results since listing on the stock market.

The results, which overall were better than some analysts predicted, showed a staff share scheme was the primary cause for the loss.

Outwith this scheme, the company would have made a profit of just under $295m (£188m), with revenues rising by 32 per cent to $1.18bn (£752m).
However, over the same period, expenses almost quadrupled to $1.93bn (£1.23bn) as the social network's spending on sales and marketing reached $392m (£250m).

Shervin Pishevar, a shareholder in the company, told the BBC the fall in share price should not raise too much panic: "I don't think there's any kind of predictions you can make in the short term. We take a very long term view [and] all of the numbers are incredibly exciting."

Daniel Ernst, of Hudson Square Research, supports this view, telling The Telegraph: "They've got a real business there, it's just not growing as fast as it used to."

More positive for Facebook is the fact that the number of users rose to a new high of 955 million, 543 million of which access the social network from their phones. Commentators predict the company's future success will be determined by their ability to successfully tap into the advertising revenues of this expanding mobile market.

The fall in share price continues the problems the company has experienced going public when they were initially bought for $38 (£24.20) each.

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

Obama triumphs in 'Twiplomacy'

Thu, 26 Jul 2012 03:37:00 GMT

Barack Obama has been declared the most popular world leader on Twitter.

The study of Twitter usage by PR firm Burson-Marsteller placed the American President first out of the 264 heads of government.

Obama was the first political leader to join Twitter and has amassed over 17 million followers since signing up. He ranks fifth overall on the social media channel, with musicians Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry and Rihanna all pipping him with over 20 million followers each.

The President, who only follows two heads of state, has also issued the most popular tweet from any world leader when he weighed in on the controversial issue of gay marriage, declaring "Same-sex couples should be able to get married."

However the study ranked Obama lower than many of his counterparts in terms of interactivity, with only 1per cent of tweets a reply to other users.
He has only personally sent eight messages on his account, which he signs off with his initials, with the vast majority of his messages handled by aides.

Obama's nearest 'Twiplomacy' rival is staunch US opponent, Hugo Chavez, leader of Venezuela, who has amassed just over 3.25 million followers.

The Burson-Marsteller study also discovered there have been three incidents of world leaders making obscene tweets. Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev was the most high-profile offender, although the Kremlin later blamed a rogue official for the message.

Researchers have also uncovered that 99 leaders have issued no replies to any messages from their citizens.

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

Apple to announce continued growth

Tue, 24 Jul 2012 03:00:00 GMT

Apple is expected to exceed its own predictions and announce impressive third quarter revenues of $37billion (£23.8 billion).

The results to be released today are expected to show record iPad sales alongside a fall in iPhone purchases.

The two gadgets accounted for three quarters of the technology giant's business during the period, singlehandedly raking in $29billion in sales (£18.6 billion).

The new iPad helped spearhead these impressive figures, selling 18.75 million models around the world, according to a recent report. They can largely be attributed to the global launch of their enhanced iPad, with its delayed release in China expected to further boost next quarter's figures.

Declining iPhone sales will give the company some concern, although the drop may be a result of consumers holding off until the next model is released.

Commentators believe around 29 million handsets were sold this period which is around 6 million less than the March quarter. The product still remains Apple's biggest seller and did sell over 8.5 million more models than the same period last year.

The company had previously missed stock market sales estimates in 2011, and Tony Sacconaghi of Bernstein Research has pessimistically warned, despite strong forecasts, similar problems could occur again.

"We see a reasonable probability that Apple will miss consensus revenue expectations due to macro-economic weakness in China and Europe, a product cycle lull in the iPhone, a later than expected introduction of the new iPad into China, and the late quarter introduction of new Mac notebooks."

iPod and Mac sales are set to continue on their recent flatlining trend, with negligible to a small fall in purchases expected.

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