The HTC Rhyme
The HTC Rhyme is something of a delicate matter, as it is HTC's firstphone that is said to have been designed with a female audience in mind. Yet it comes in dull colours and looks quite a lot like every other HTC handset we’ve seen so far.
PENTAX Q-REVIEW
Let’s get one thing straight from the start. The Pentax Q is quite an incredible camera to behold. It’s tiny. But not only is it tiny, it also looks great.
NIKON 1 V1
Nikon has announced two new compact system cameras: the Nikon 1 V1 and the Nikon 1 J1. We got our hands on both new cameras today, so until we can bring you our Nikon 1 V1 review
The ULTra Personal Rapid Transit System
"Think of it as a horizontal lift," says Fraser Brown, managing director of ULTra, the company that has built a new way to travel to Heathrow Terminal 5 from the business car park
THREE MIFI HSPA
Three has updated its MiFi range with the new Huawei E586 complete with HSPA+, and we have managed to get our hands on one to test out all its mobile internet goodness
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Safari and IE8 get shamed at Pwn2Own, Chrome still safe... for now -- Engadget
Boss of the Year Entry Form
Now that we've thrown 'em off the trail, use the form below to get in touch with the people at Engadget. Please fill in all of the required fields because they're required.
via engadget.com
Safari and IE8 get shamed at Pwn2Own, Chrome still safe... for now -- Engadget
Boss of the Year Entry Form
Now that we've thrown 'em off the trail, use the form below to get in touch with the people at Engadget. Please fill in all of the required fields because they're required.
via engadget.com
Financial Armageddon: I Wonder What they Are Saying Now
Remember when municipal finance specialists, politicians, fixed-income fund managers, credit analysts, municipal finance columnists, municipal finance executives, bond analysts, business reporters, and sundry other "experts" pooh-poohed the warning Meredith Whitney's gave in December on CBS's "60 Minutes" about a coming meltdown in the muni market, with some suggesting the banking analyst was well out of her depth?
Well, I wonder what they are saying now that Jeff Gundlach, one of the most successful fixed-income investors of modern times, has voiced similar concerns about the outlook for what has been a very popular investment class:
"Jeffrey Gundlach: Munis Are The New Subprime" (CNBC.com)
Bond king Jeff Gundlach likened municipal bonds to subprime mortgage bonds on CNBC’s Strategy Session on Wednesday.
“You’ve got a history of low defaults, which is comforting. But that kind of sounds like what subprime sounded like back in 2006,” Gundlach said.
Gundlach said the markets for subprime bonds and municipal bonds are similar because the buyers are similar. Muni bond buyers aren’t seeking fundamentally good credit stories—they are buying for “technical reasons,” Gundlach said. This is exactly what happened with subprime
With subprime bonds, buyers were seeking highly-rated credit with very low default histories in order to satisfy regulatory bank capital requirements. They largely ignored deteriorating fundamentals, and continued to buy subprime mortgage-backed securities at a rapid clip even when the problems with the market were becoming apparent in the first half of 2007.
Muni bonds are bought for a different “technical reason”—the tax benefit—and buyers are once again ignoring deteriorating fundamentals. So are munis going the way of subprime?
“If by that you mean, lower, then yes. If you mean crashing, I’m agnostic on that,” he told David Faber.
Got that? Munis are headed lower. And he’s “agnostic” on whether or not they will crash. When one of the most important names in bond investing says he cannot tell whether or not an entire class of bonds will crash, there’s reason for investors to worry.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Panda Update: Finding & removing low quality content using Analytics
Panda Update: Finding & removing low quality content using Analytics
by Patrick Altoft on March 9, 2011
Google has been explaining today that sites hit by the Panda update are likely to be hit on all pages on the site, even if some pages are good quality. They are also telling site owners that the way to get out of the update is to remove any low quality content.
To have a copywriter check through thousands or millions of pages is a time consuming task and even then it’s hard to know whether the changes you make are to the right pages.
The way we are recommending people check their pages is to use the bounce rate and time on site metrics from Google Analytics landing page report.
In Google Analytics go to Traffic Souces > Google Organic > and view by landing page. Then add “&limit=100000″ to the URL so you can download all the data.
Finally click the CSV download and you will get a spreadsheet showing all the metrics for your pages including bounce rate, time on site and traffic for each page.
Next you need to set your CMS to autmatically add the noindex tag or temporarily delete (and redirect to category level) the worst performing pages on your site, 10% at a time, until the traffic picks up or you realise that you have too much low quality content and have to think of another plan. Don’t delete pages that are still getting lots of search traffic, just get rid of pages with high bounce rate, low time on site and very little search traffic, or a big drop in search traffic recently.
Patrick Altoft is Director of Search at Leeds based digital & SEO agency Branded3. Patrick also runs Blogstorm.
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Austin, Texas: Social Business Capital of the World - Being Peter Kim
09 March 2011
Austin, Texas: Social Business Capital of the World
Three years ago, I had lunch with Jeff Dachis to discuss an idea he had for a new type of business. At the time I was living in Boston and had just completed construction on a new house, a cul-de-sac met by the ocean at the street's end. As we started construction on a new project, Dachis Group, it became obvious to me that it was necessary to leave that house and relocate to Austin, the social business capital of the world.
Why do I use that specific phrase to describe Austin, Texas or ATX? Because of the concentration of people and their companies that focus on social business. San Francisco has social technology. New York has social media. Austin has all of that and more.
Austin Ventures supports a portfolio of leading social businesses including Bazaarvoice, Spredfast, Spiceworks, and Dachis Group. Other service providers include frog design, Fleishman-Hillard, Ogilvy, WCG, Ants Eye View, Ipsos, and T3. Industry leaders operate here including IBM and Dell. The Social Media Business Council is headquartered here. And of course Austin hosts the largest social/digital annual industry event in the world, South By Southwest Interactive.
It's people that make the companies special, of course. The Austin social business community is large and welcoming. I'd like to share some perspectives from our local leaders on why Austin is such a great place to work and live:
- [Aaron Strout] There's something unusual going on the universe. I'm not sure what force is behind it but about 3-4 years ago, a new set of "railroad" tracks of sorts -- that of the virtual variety -- were laid down coming from locales north, east and northeast to a little old town in Texas called Austin. Well, Austin's actually not that little. And it happens to be the capitol of Texas. But that's besides the point. The key here is that some of the smartest social business minds in the country are flocking in droves to the live music capital of the world.
- [Spike Jones] Like a lot of us on this post, I get asked a lot about what it’s like to live in Austin. Where do I begin? I think my favorite thing is the vibe here. You can walk into just about any establishment and witness a cross-culture of individuals who just accept one another. Seriously. Go to the corner restaurant and you’ll see people completely covered ink sitting next to a few guys in suits over next to a young family wearing shorts and flip-flops with their kids running around the table. It just feels like everyone that’s here BELONGS here. No judgment. No snarky comments about non-native Texas (as they say, the only thing wrong with Austin is that it’s surrounded by Texas). No BS.
- [Greg Matthews] Whatever the reason, it's clear that there has been a steady-and-growing influx of people (and companies) who thrive on innovation, creativity and technology - into Austin. There's something about the city that's at once edgy but unpretentious; passionate but relaxed; reflective but action-oriented. And it's incredibly exciting to be a part of its ascendancy as a destination for innovators and entrepreneurs - the kind of people who create energy.
- [Virginia Miracle] Ogilvy doesn't have a current physical office here and yet, you could say the whole city is our office. We hold meetings at Shady Grove, Texas Honey Ham, learn about new companies at Dominican Joe's and I can learn more about what is cracking in town at a barbecue or a shopping trip than I could in a month of conference calls. Beyond the individuals who work for your company alone, we are part of a thriving community of like-minded social professionals who have chosen for one of a host of reasons to make Austin home.
- [Kat Mandelstein] The people of Austin are amazingly open, friendly and welcoming regardless of economic stature or age. Over the last several years a strong community has sprung up here around Social Media and that is now my extended family. In fact, the Austin chapter of Social Media Club is the second largest chapter only behind the founding chapter in San Francisco. Social Media Breakfasts, Twestivals, and Tweetups galore happen on a regular basis too. There is never a shortage of things to do or people to do them with. Many of us have started using the hashtag #whyaustin on twitter to explain why we are so in love with this place we now call home. It's hard to explain until you have experienced it first hand.
- [Kate Niederhoffer] Quality of life in Austin is simply higher than in the more fast-paced, cut-throat, nail-biting enclaves of the US. Austin is the perfect mix of intellect, athleticism, family-friendliness, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit. And like attracts like: this unique combination makes us the most ripe breeding ground for social business - thinkers and doers. You won't believe the people you run into at Whole Foods headquarters... People often dream of moving to NYC. Living in today's Austin makes me wonder whether people will soon dream of someday making it in Austin with the same tenacity.
Our town will soon welcome 15,000+ visitors for SXSWi. You might be one of them. If so, while you're here I encourage you to think about the nice people, great weather, low cost of living, live music, nationally recognized public schools, BBQ and breakfast tacos, and the growing community of your peers that call this town home. I know all of the people on this post are seeking great talent to join their firms and you might want to drop an inquiry or two while you're here. (Click here for Dachis Group's open positions.)
I have no regrets about leaving that brand new house behind in Boston, because we're building the social business capital of the world.
Any interest in joining us?
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Posted by Peter Kim at 10:00 AM in Community, Social Business, Web/Tech | Permalink
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Alan Weinkrantz said...And slightly to the south... there is San Antonio. A great social community, home of Rackspace, and many more emerging start-ups. But if you REALLY want to look at the future, study the census when you can deep dive into it. Demographically, San Antonio IS the future of the US population. There's lot of undiscovered clues here. Follow our social media Mayor, Julian Castro, watch for our social media club, the BMPR group, the social media breakfast and study what the Air Force is doing is cybersecurity. Oh - and home to great Mexican food, much lower housing prices, an airport that is in the center of town, and much more.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Page not found Brian Solis
ABOUT ME
Brian Solis is globally recognized as one of the most prominent thought leaders and published authors in new media. A digital analyst, sociologist, and futurist, Solis has studied and influenced the effects of emerging media on business, marketing, publishing, and culture.
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The Best Marketing Advice You Ever Received | Six Pixels of Separation - Marketing and Communications Blog - By Mitch Joel at Twist Image
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33 things to give up for Lent | 300 words a day
Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. It’s the first day of Lent. Lent is about willingly learning about sacrifice. Lent is about choosing to give up what rightfully belongs to us.
Here are some possibilities of things to give up for Lent.
- First place in line.
- The last piece of pie.
- Second thoughts about commitments.
- Just five minutes more (when they keep you from family).
- The last word.
- A fifth. Of something.
- A quarter-pounder.
- Forty cents a day. (It adds up to $12 a month and over a year and with 100 other people, gives a village in Africa water.)
- 1400 characters (or a day without tweeting).
- Three scowls.
- A second helping.
- The last place in line, which demonstrates just how humble we actually are.
- Dave’s Top Ten list (or whatever kept you from turning off the TV and going to bed last night.
- Six simultaneous projects.
- 10 minutes of frantic activity.
- The Final Four [pool] that consumes your attention for a month.
- One argument.
- A fourth pair of shoes.
- Eating alone.
- 12 disciples (Jesus did it. At the end. Course, they left him. So never mind).
- 8 minutes on the snooze.
- A second glance.
- The first 15 parking places closest to the door.
- A five minute well justified rant about the way that person completely mistreated you when they cut you off as you were driving…
- One minute of worry each hour.
- 30 minutes that could have been filled with, “Wait, what did I do with that 30 minutes?”
- 44 cents for a stamp on an envelope with a piece of paper that says, “I love you.”
- 60 minutes a week to converse with someone about God. (or read 300 words).
- Friday. (or any one day that you spending willingly on the well-being of someone else.)
- Credit. (for number 29)
- An extra coat.
- $10,000. (Maybe you could.)
- My will (let’s go with Your will instead).
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Posted on Tuesday, March 8th, 2011 at 1:53 am in lent, questions | RSS feed | Respond | Trackback URL
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“Home Barrier” your simple and Easy Home Security Solution
A Japanese mobile phone design company by the name of GECOMM has come up with an interesting and easy to install home security solution equipped with wireless technology. According to the company the new Home Barrier Security solution brings the cost of home security system to one tenth in comparison to the conventional home security system offered by various security companies in Japan. The Home Barrier is consists of window sensors and a receiver which is connected to PC through USB terminal. The window sensor comes with both shock and magnets sensors, when the window sensor detects some abnormality, the sensor sends a message to the receiver and the receiver sends an e-mail to registered mobile e-mail address. It is also possible to control security mode from the mobile phone. The window sensors and the receiver can use a specific frequency which enables a transmission within 100 meter inside house. The user can register up to five different e-mail accounts. The basic unit goes for 27500 yen which includes one main unit, tow window sensors, home barrier software, two magnets and two batteries.
DOCOMO unveils its green Mobile Phone Prototype with touch of Style
I guess use of scrap woods or so called surplus woods is becoming a technology trend coinciding with thinning tree activities in maintaining healthy forest. This is my second post on this subject. It all started with Mitsubishi’s announcement on development of new plastic resin from the surplus cedar wood. This follows with today’s DOCOMO announcement on development of mobile phone prototype made of surplus wood of trees culled. Well only the exterior body of the phone is made of wood. The new prototype was developed in corporation with Sharp and Olympus Corporation as well as with the collaboration of “more trees”, a reforestation project which is founded by musician Ryuichi Sakamoto and others.
The new prototype which is named TOUCH WOOD in addition of featuring an excellent durability is water, insect and mildew resistance with an attractive shine all to three dimensional compression molding technology which is developed by Olympus Corporation. By the wood content comes from authentic Cypress tree. No artificial coloring and paint has been used in developing the TOUCH WOOD bearing a natural coloring and aroma. The TOUCH WOOD’s GUI is based on the photographic art of Mikiya Takimoto a more trees advocate. Development of Electric Drive System to be used in Electric Scooters
The system comes with capability of communication between each unit through the CAN (Control Area Network), a standard for in-vehicle LAN. Sanyo has implemented the system into Suzuki’s newly announced Scooters.aaxa micro projector
The AAXA M2 micro projector is the most powerful and fully-featured projector in its class. The M2 employs a next generation optical engine with Vibrant Color technology that produces high brightness and deep colors for a rich viewing experience. A high speed LCOS microdisplay panel and powerful Luminus PT-39 PhlatLight LED package are combined for the first time in the M2 to create a powerful yet efficient projection system.
The M2 mini projector feature a new high-speed video and image processor that supports up to 1280x720 resolution resolution video at 30 frames per second and a wide array of image and music formats. Content can be accessed through 1GB of onboard memory, an SD card slot accepting up to 16GB SD-HC cards, and the USB Host (On-the-Go) function for reading USB storage devices.
The M2's connectivity is unmatched with HDMI, VGA, and composite A/V inputs. Coupled with built-in 1 watt stereo speakers, the M2 projector makes for a powerful yet portable device that serves double duty as a standalone multimedia system and as an accessory display for notebooks and other multimedia devices.Additional features include infrared remote control, adjustable tripod, and a 3.5mm audio output for headphones or external speakers.
Optional accessories include iPhone, PSP, Zune, Nokia, Samsung, iTouch, and AV out cables for mobile device connectivity.
Super Color and Image Quality
The Vibrant Color Technology and triple LED light source in the M2 produces a vivid display with amazing color saturation.
Long LED Life
 | Conventional lamp-based projectors require frequent bulb changes with very expensive bulbs that cost hundred of dollars. |  | The M1's LED light source lasts 10 times longer than conventional lamps so bulb changes are a thing of the past! |
Real Quick ON & OFF
 | Long warm-up and cool down times, sometimes for several minutes, are required for projectors using traditional lamps. |  | The LED light source enables the M1 to achieve full brightness within seconds. Of course, it turns off instantly as well. |
Versatile Multimedia Support
- Onboard media player supports popular file formats
- Share movies, videos, photos with friends and family
- Bring presentations anywhere and everywhere
- Enjoy gaming and entertainment without large TV's
Environmentally Friendly
 | The M2's LED light source consumes less power. The LED is also 100% free of mercury and, as the bulb never needs to be replaced, there are no discarded bulbs. |
