Crazy For Tech - Gadgets,Cell Phones,Cameras » Media

For It Before They Were Against It: Google Spent $400K On SOPA Lobbying

jos — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:24:50 +0000

According to filings with the Federal Election Commission, Google spent approximately $390,000 (out of $3,760,000.00 total) on SOPA and PIPA lobbying including efforts to educate lawmakers on SOPA and the DMCA. The question, then, is whether the massive search and advertising giant was for or against the bill – and why so much money was spent to argue the case. The document, available online in PDF here , is fairly succinct and covers a number of topics, thereby explaining the massive cash outlay. Here’s the specific mention of SOPA: S. 968 – Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011; S. 978 – Commercial Felony Streaming Act; S. 2029 – Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade Act; H.R. 3261 – Stop Online Piracy Act; Digital Millennium Copyright Act service provider safe harbors; Trans-Pacific Partnership. The document also mentions a number of other lobbying topics including “Regulation of online advertising; privacy and competition issues in online advertising” and “Renewable energy policies” so it’s not all SOPA all the time over at Google’s New York offices. However, there is a key word missing in the filing – whether Google was for or against the bill and what, if any, opinion they injected into the lobbying effort. Google was unavailable for comment for this piece but it’s clear that most organizations with a dog in the fight spent some money on lobbying. Wikimedia spent a mere $10K on their efforts , at least according to documents we found. The MPAA made its interests clear in the media but less clear in FEC filings , pouring in $850,000.00 in lobbying money while mentioning nothing of its stance. According to one reader who performed a bit of data mining on the documents , top spenders are, in order: RIAA $535,750 The Information Technology Industry Council $390,000 Google $312,500 CSC Holdings $295,000 Comcast $265,816 These numbers are clearly elusive. There’s no value in admitting your position in these documents and clearly there’s no requirement. All we have is a trail of cash going from company to lobbyist to politician. What is said during these glad-handing sessions is unclear, but given the predilections of some of the filers, assumptions can be made. More interesting are these numbers on the aggregate. While we don’t know what was said, the $1,799,066 represented above talks and it’s clear big business has more resources to pass favorable legislation than any nerd army massing online at SOPA’s gates.

Read more from the original source:
For It Before They Were Against It: Google Spent $400K On SOPA Lobbying

AOL Beats The Street, Q4 Revenue Down 3 Percent To $577M

A D M I N — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:36:56 +0000

AOL reported better than expected fourth quarter earnings this morning. The company, which owns TechCrunch, reported revenue of $576.8 million, which is down 3 percent from Q4 2010 revenue of $596 million. Earnings came in at $0.23 per share, or $22.8 million, which is down 66 percent from $66.2 million a year ago. Analysts expected $0.16 per share. AOL says total revenue decline was its lowest rate of revenue decline in 5 years. While global advertising revenue was 10%, subscription revenue declined by 18%. AOl also saw a 15% growth in global display revenue and a 20% growth in third party network revenue. “AOL took a large step forward in Q4 and I am very pleased with the way we ended the year,” said AOL’s CEO Tim Armstrong. “Our Q4 results highlight AOL’s ability to methodically improve our consumer offering and financial performance. We continue to invest in AOL and will continue to improve our operations during 2012.” The company says that traffic was flat from Q3 2011 as “growth in the Huffington Post Media Group sites offset declines at MapQuest and AIM.” View this document on Scribd

Dealfind Expands Into Luxury Goods With “Dream Deals”

blogger — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:00:05 +0000

Toronto-based deal provider Dealfind is expanding into luxury goods with the launch of a new service called Dream Deals. Starting now, in addition to Dealfind’s everyday and weekly deals, customers will also get “surprise” Dream Deals, which involve deeply discounted retail goods. As a test, the first Dream Deal actually rolled out last Tuesday without warning, offering customers an authentic Louis Vuitton “Speedy” handbag for $80.00, shipping and taxes included. The six bags sold out in nine minutes. Curious customers wanted to know what was going on, prompting Dealfind Co-founder Gary Lipovestsy to head into the comments section for the deal to explain that, yes, the bag was real, and that this was start of new service called Dream Deals. These Dream Deals will appear on the site randomly at various times throughout the week, offering products that will be 80 off regular retail prices. The deals will involve consumer electronics items, accessories, clothing and other popular retail goods. Like any flash sales site, Dream Deals’ quantities will be limited and deals will sell out quickly. For this reason, Dealfind customers who only follow the site via daily emails won’t be likely to get in on the action. The only way to track the surprise deals is via social media – including the Dealfind Twitter accounts and Facebook fan page. (Or you could get lucky and spot the deal as you’re browsing the website.) Dealfind is now operating in 71 U.S. and Canadian markets, and has sold more than 1.8 million vouchers since 2010 for a savings of over $430 million. The company has been busily rolling out new features in recent weeks, including instant deals (“ Everyday Deals “) and mobile apps , both of which arrived in December. In May 2011, Dealfind was ranked as the third largest deal provider in North America by North American Daily Deal Media, which tracks data from over 500 deal websites.

See the original post:
Dealfind Expands Into Luxury Goods With “Dream Deals”

MEDIAS ES N-05D: NEC’s New Android Phone Is 6.7mm Thin, Connects To Casio’s G-SHOCK GB-6900

user — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:10:55 +0000

NEC did it again: about 11 months after unveiling the world’s slimmest smartphone at that time, the company is ready to release another super-thin Android phone with a set of impressive specs (via Japan’s biggest mobile carrier NTT Docomo ). Dubbed MEDIAS ES N-05D [JP], the handset will hit Japanese stores in February or March this year. NEC rolled out quite a few Medias-branded Android phones in recent months, but this model is just 6.7mm thin and has the best specs. Here are the main features: Android 2.3.6 waterproof body 4.3-inch LCD with 720×1280 resolution 8.1MP CMOS camera with NEC’s Exmor R for mobile engine dual-core MSM8260 CPU (1.5GHz) 1GB RAM 4GB internal memory Bluetooth 4.0 Wi-Fi NFC e-wallet function infrared connection digital TV tuner microSD card slot, microUSB slot 1400mAh battery connectivity to Casio’s G-SHOCK GB-6900 watch size: 130×67×6.7mm, weight: 110g The MEDIAS ES N-05D might reach markets outside Japan at some point in the future, but there is no official word from NEC yet. Via IT Media [JP]

Read the original post:
MEDIAS ES N-05D: NEC’s New Android Phone Is 6.7mm Thin, Connects To Casio’s G-SHOCK GB-6900

BlueGlass Interactive Acquires Digital Agency Voltier Digital

vertical8 — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:41:37 +0000

Internet marketing agency BlueGlass Interactive has just acquired Voltier Digital, a digital agency specializing in content marketing, infographic creation and data visualization. Voltier, whose clients include eBay, CEO.com, Fanhattan, WellHome, COLOURlovers.com, Greatist, and others, will be relocating its entire six person team to BlueGlass’s Tampa offices immediately. In addition, Voltier’s three founders, Dan Tynski, Nicholas Santillo and Chris Tynski, will hold senior roles on BlueGlass’ production and marketing teams. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition represents a strategic move for BlueGlass, which currently offers search engine optimization and social media marketing services. Now the company will expand into new areas, including data visualization, infographic production, and kinetic typography, thanks to Voltier. Although you may not have heard the name Voltier before, you’ve likely come across the company’s work without knowing it. The firm has produced dozens of infographics , which have been posted to numerous tech blogs in the recents months. Subjects have included everything from energy pricing to comic books and more. BlueGlass was formed in summer 2010 from four companies, 10e20, Search and Social, Brent Csutoras and Second Step Search. Following its October 2010 acquisition of 3 Dog Media , the company claimed it then had five of the top fifteen social media experts in the field. Explains BlueGlass Co-founder Chris Winfield, content marketing is one of these new “buzzwords,” but the idea has been around forever. “It’s one of those things where now everyone’s interested in it – and these guys [Voltier] have the best systems and the best technology around it out there,” he says. And it’s one of the biggest areas for growth for firms like his, he adds. “Companies are now caring about putting out content that people want to read, rather than just creating things like ‘brochureware,’ and things like that,” Winfield explains. “Instead of just investing in their blog and blogging strategies, they’re investing in content people will actually want to share. Even if it’s not directly related to selling something, it’s still branding.” (For example, all those darned infographics!) Self-funded BlueGlass is headquartered in Tampa, Florida with offices in Los Angeles, New York and Australia.

Read the original post:
BlueGlass Interactive Acquires Digital Agency Voltier Digital

The Obama Campaign Is Now Using Mobile Payments Device Square For Fundraising

blogger — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 23:44:26 +0000

The latest technology to be adopted by the Obama campaign— Square . The mobile payments device is now being used by the Obama for fundraising, says the company. Staff, fundraisers and others are being equipped with the card reading devices, says Square, enabling the campaign to take donations on the go via Android devices, iPhones or iPads. “Whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat, running for president or local assembly, Square makes it easier than ever for candidates, organizations and volunteers to fundraise for their cause,” said a spokesperson for Square. There’s no doubt that using a mobile payments device from Square makes fundraising much easier. With traditional forms of fundraising, if you want to donate money at a fundraising event, you often have to fill out a form and hand over a check or cash at the event. If you don’t have your checkbook or cash handy (which, many of us don’t), credit cards are the only option. You can write down your credit card number and info for fundraisers to charge at a later date, but you have to trust that the fundraiser keeps track of that information and paper. With Square, there is both a convenience added for both the payee and fundraiser. The donation is instantly processed, and Square will send the receipt via SMS or email to the payee. Of course, political contributions and donations are a little more complicated because of the reporting requirements associated with donations. We’re told the same processing fees (2.75 percent) apply for use by non-profits and political campaigns. Similar to the way Square created a special platform for the Salvation Army, the company has also worked with the campaign for a tailored way to take campaign donations. The special app for accepting Square payments for the Obama campaign is currently being used by staff but will be available to the public soon. We’ve embedded screenshots below. Square has been used for campaigning and fundraising at political events for the past few years. For example, in 2010, Square was used for the state assembly campaign of Silicon Valley VC Josh Becker, and for Reshma Saujani, who ran for Congress in New York’s 14th district. Considering that the Obama campaign raised $42 million in the fourth quarter of 2011 alone, that’s a lot of potential money that could be flowing through Square’s platform. And the marketing exposure is also a bonus for the mobile payments startup to scale even further.

Originally posted here:
The Obama Campaign Is Now Using Mobile Payments Device Square For Fundraising

Android Dominates Moolah Media’s Mobile Ads

kram412 — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:03:00 +0000

It looks like publishers and advertisers are warming to mobile ad startup Moolah Media . The company says that in 2011, it generated 7 million leads for its advertisers — and 1.9 million of those leads (27 percent of the year’s total) came in December. Also in December, Moolah says its ads reached 45 million Americans. And interest in the company is growing — Moolah projects that traffic to its website will triple this month, as pictured in the chart above. The company first launched in November 2010 . At the time, CEO Shawn Scheuer said that no one had effectively brought the “performance-based” ad model into the mobile world. Even now, Scheuer says most ad companies are interested in paying publishers based on impressions or clicks, rather than the form submissions, inbound phone calls, and mobile app installs that Moolah tracks and pays for. So Moolah’s approach is bringing more direct-response marketers into the mobile world — 50 advertisers so far. Last fall, Moolah tried to improve its ads with the launch of SmartMoolah , which gathers more data about user behavior after the click. Since then, publishers have seen significantly higher payments, and are now willing to hand more of their inventory over to Moolah, Scheuer says. He also revealed that 65 percent of Moolah’s ads get served on Android devices, compared to 19 percent on feature phones and a lowly 14 percent for iOS devices. That’s because certain products or services do better on certain carriers or devices, and it’s possible to target ads at that level on Android by not iPhone. “We’re a small team, so we have to focus on where see the highest response rates, and right now that’s Android,” Scheuer says. “Apple has been clamping down on the user ID tracking, and they’re kind of spooking a lot of people about that. That’s really hurt advertising on the iPhone.”

Read the original post:
Android Dominates Moolah Media’s Mobile Ads

Motorola Mobility Closes Out Q4 2011 With An $80 Million Net Loss

user — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 03:48:40 +0000

Motorola Mobility released their fourth quarter and year-end financials today, and now we can see why they made it a point earlier this month to downplay analyst expectations. The company’s new figures reveal that while Motorola raked in $3.4 billion in Q4 2011, they also incurred a net loss of $80 million. Things don’t look much more promising when we shift our attention to their mobile offerings. Motorola’s myriad mobile devices accounted for the lion’s share of their revenue — $2.5 billion to be precise, a year-over-year increase of 5%. Still, despite pushing out devices like the Droid RAZR and their XYBOARD tablet in time for the holidays, Motorola didn’t see a notable jump over their performance last quarter when during which their mobile devices netted $2.4 billion in revenue. Also interesting to see is how Motorola stacks up to their mobile competitors when it comes to device shipments. Motorola announced earlier this month that they shipped 10.5 million mobile devices in Q4 2011, down from 11.3 million back in Q4 2010. Of those 10.5 million units shipped 5.3 million were smartphones, which doesn’t sound too shabby until you realize that Android-loving rival Samsung sold 35 million smartphones . Taiwan-based HTC would probably be the closest in terms of performance — while they didn’t release specific device numbers along with their unaudited quarterly results , Bloomberg’s estimates pegged them at roughly 10 million devices shipped. Coincidentally, both Motorola and HTC have made known their intentions to streamline their smartphone portfolios going forward, and I’m looking forward to seeing how their earnings change as a result. Stepping back to look at their yearly performance, we find that Motorola Mobility shipped a grand total of 42.4 million mobile devices, which includes 18.7 million smartphones and 1 million tablets. Those in tandem with their (less interesting) home segment offerings led Motorola to pick up net revenues of $13.1 billion, albeit with a net loss of $249 million. Of course, Motorola Mobility’s on the precipice of some drastic change, what with their pending acquisition by Google still churning along. With the transaction expected to finish early this year, we could be looking at a completely different Motorola before too long.

More:
Motorola Mobility Closes Out Q4 2011 With An $80 Million Net Loss

Dirty Money

blogger — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:45:26 +0000

The New York Times has published a long article on Foxconn which, while it doesn’t provide much in the way of new information, does act as a sobering reminder of just how companies like Apple can make so very much money. When our own John Biggs visited Foxconn , he focused on the company itself, its scale, its intentions. When I wrote about Apple’s suppliers failing to meet environmental standards , it was more about the laxity of regulators within China. Today’s NYT piece depicts Apple as prime mover and potential catalyst of change — but its actions and information from insiders suggest that it is simply unwilling. There is a certain genius to negotiating down the price of every screw and wire, and never paying a yuan more than is absolutely necessary. As in design and build quality, other companies aspire to Apple’s accomplishment in this area. Something the article only fleetingly acknowledges is that Foxconn is used by most of the major electronics brands in the world. Samsung, Microsoft, Amazon, and the rest all contract with Foxconn to manufacture, assemble, or finish their products. The threatened mass suicide the other week was, in fact, at an Xbox production facility. The author suggests that HP and Nike “push” their suppliers, presumably in a good way, but Apple does not. The comparison is made without much in the way of evidence. But it doesn’t appear that Apple is being unfairly targeted: people from within Apple confirm the company’s attitude towards suppliers, and acknowledge that they rarely back up their threats with action. This is for the reason that has been making the rounds over the last week: the suppliers they have are the best in the world, and they are barely able to keep up with Apple’s demands. There’s a sort of power inversion going on there. Here is Foxconn, which celebrates whenever a client like Apple comes by to make a big order. And here is Apple, which dictates the terms and is, to some extent, the money in the relationship. But which one of these two could fare better if the other backed out? Foxconn would have to spend a few billion reconfiguring its factories to pump out Galaxy Tabs and Kindle Fires. Apple, which has come to rely on Foxconn’s guarantee of millions of products being manufactured at will, and to specs that may change by the hour, would be adrift. So it has never been a surprise to me when I hear that Apple, and others, only do so much to change the situation in factories and factory towns in China. The simple fact of it is they’re not the ones at the reins. Foxconn and China have our all-important tech companies by the scruff of the neck, and bear the big bad audits by Apple (more likely by people representing people representing Apple) like they’d bear a kitten swiping at their face. It’s a high stakes game, and Foxconn and its like hold all the cards. Well, not all the cards. As I wrote once , the reason Apple does the things it does is to please us, the consumers. We demand a new iPhone every year that must be better and cheaper. We insist that a thousand dollars is too much for a state of the art computer. We want bigger TVs and external hard drives and slim cameras. And we, almost without exception, fail to care when our demand for more iPads drives Apple to double its orders, driving Foxconn to push more overtime, driving poorly-maintained ventilation systems to their maximum, driving a spark to ignite an aluminum-dust explosion. It’s not our problem, it’s Apple’s or it’s Foxconn’s or it’s China’s. Very reassuring. One dreamer quoted in the NYT article says: “If they committed to building a conflict-free iPhone, it would transform technology.” Yes, and at the same time, it would transform Apple into a bankrupt company. A conflict free iPhone would cost far, far more and would in all likelihood not be as well-built. Apple knows this. The system we and they have in place works , unfortunately, at least for everyone but the workers coated in N-hexane. And at a twelve to a hundred thousand dollars a pop , they aren’t worth rocking the boat for, especially when you’ve got record profits coming in. Just don’t forget that we’re in that boat too. Unlike many other companies whose profits come largely from ads, enterprise products, or components, the vast majority of what Apple makes comes straight out of a consumer’s pockets, more or less willingly. More than any other mega-corporation you and I deal with on a daily basis, we are fully in control of our contributions to this company. We’re part of this. Some would say the biggest part.

See the original post here:
Dirty Money

Kim Dotcom Denied Bail In New Zealand Court

kram412 — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 07:29:31 +0000

The Megaupload saga continues. Kim Dotcom, Megaupload’s mega founder, was just denied bail by a New Zealand court citing he’s a flight risk. He will remain in New Zealand’s custody until February 22, when the courts will hear the US Justice Department’s application for Schmitz. Dotcom insists he’s innocent of the various charges involving racketeering and piracy. His lawyers insist that Dotcom’s company was simply offering an online storage locker and diligent responded to complaints about pirated material.– a dubious statement for anyone familiar with the company. It’s all in the hands in the court now. Whatever the case might be, Judge David McNaughton sided with prosecutor Anne Toohey who argued that given Dotcom posed a flight risk due to his financial resources, multiple passports and previous criminal convictions. The judge also pointed to the unlawful gun found in Dotcom’s procession during his capture. “It suggests a level of criminality which to my mind could easily extend to exploiting criminal connections to obtain false travel documents and leave the country undetected,” McNaughton added. This case isn’t likely to go down quiet. It seems that the US Justice Department and the media establishment is gearing up to posterize Megaupload and Kim Dotcom as examples.

Original post:
Kim Dotcom Denied Bail In New Zealand Court