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The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has launched a new antitrust investigation into Google’s alleged abuse of its online advertising dominance after receiving complaints from rival companies.

Sources told Bloomberg that FTC investigators are trying to determine if Google is using its role in the 17.7-billion online display ad industry to compel companies to use more of its advertising services.

The sources said, however, that the preliminary probe may not be expanded into a full-scale investigation.

It seems Canada’s Competition Bureau is also set to probe Google’s business practices.

According to The Financial Times, the government agency has informed Google of its intention to launch a formal inquiry, but has yet to ask for specific information or documents from Google Canada.

Google is no stranger to having its policies and practices placed under the microscope by government agencies.

After a nearly two-year anti-trust investigation, the FTC unanimously ruled Jan. 3 there was not enough evidence to support rivals’ allegations that Google gives its own services preferred billing in search results.

“Undoubtedly, Google took aggressive actions to gain advantage over rival search providers. However, the FTC’s mission is to protect competition, and not individual competitors. The evidence did not demonstrate that Google’s actions in this area stifled competition in violation of U.S. law,” the FTC’s attorney, Beth Wilkinson, said at the time.

The FTC did, however, convince Google to change some of its business practices such as promising to license under more reasonable terms the hundreds of the patents it acquired with the purchase of Motorola. This means rivals will have access to patents on critical standardized technologies needed to make popular devices such as Smartphones, laptops, tablets and gaming consoles.

The FTC also forced the search engine giant to fork over $22.5-million in fines last August to settle accusations it broke a privacy policy by “improperly tracking Apple Safari users.” The penalty remains the biggest fine the agency has imposed against a corporation for breaching a previous agreement with the agency.

Google is also still attempting to settle an anti-trust investigation in Europe.

Google agreed last month to change its search practices in Europe, but its chief rivals, including Microsoft, must first weigh the technology titan’s concessions before they can be approved — or rejected —by the European Commission.

The commission, the executive arm of the European Union, began probing Google’s methods after receiving a number of complaints from companies, including Microsoft, that say the technology firm uses its monopoly of the market to give its own products and services prominence over that of its competitors.

The Commission said late last month that “interested parties” have one month to submit comments on Google’s proposed changes.

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FTC Opens New Investigation into Google’s Advertising Practices: Report

Google, it seems, may be in a bidding war with Facebook to acquire social-navigation app Waze.

Sources have told Bloomberg Google and several other large technology firms have contacted Waze to discuss acquisition since it became public knowledge earlier this month that the world’s largest social network was courting the Israeli company.

Waze, which has reportedly been in talks with Facebook for the past six months, is asking for more than $1 billion, the sources said. Facebook had hoped to acquire Waze for between $800,000 and $1 billion but, now that Google has entered the fray, it is likely the social media company will up its bid.

It was rumored in January that Apple and Waze were in negotiations with the iPhone maker willing to pay up to half a billion dollars. Sources at the time said Apple had offered $400 million in cash and $100 million in incentives, based on performance.

Waze image

Waze, at the time, reportedly wanted at least $750 million which, perhaps, is why nothing came of the deal then. While a source said Apple is not one of the company’s current suitors, it is not known if the iPhone maker has decided the price is too steep or if it may yet enter the competition.

Bloomberg’s sources also indicated Waze may turn down all of the offers and, instead, try to raise a round of venture capital financing in a bid to remain independent.

Waze, the world’s fastest-growing community-based traffic and navigation app, has more than 30 million users who share current traffic information wherever they are driving.

“Imagine 30 million drivers out on the roads, working together toward a common goal: to outsmart traffic and get everyone the best route to work and back, every day,” the website reads. “Get alerted before you approach police, accidents, road hazards or traffic jams, all shared by other drivers in real time. It’s like a personal heads-up from a few million of your friends on the road.”

An “active community” of Waze map editors are continuously improving and updating the app to reflect changes in a bid to improve users’ driving experience.

As technology companies like Facebook and Google continue to expand their mobile offerings, Waze would be an attractive addition, especially as the popularity of mapping apps continues to rise.

Waze was initially funded by the Blue Run Ventures, Magma Venture Partners and Vertex Venture Capital and recently received additional funding from Kleiner Perkins and Li Ka-shing’s Horizon Ventures, according to the company’s website.

The Bloomberg article indicated Microsoft was also an investor.

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Google Competing Against Facebook to Acquire Navigation App Waze

Microsoft’s Kinect sensor for its new Xbox One console will come to Windows next year, accelerating the development of voice and gesture experiences on computers.

The Kinect sensor for Xbox and the new Kinect for Windows sensor are being built on a shared set of technologies in a bid to “revolutionize computing experiences,” the company said.

“We’re continuing our commitment to equipping businesses and organizations with the latest natural technology from Microsoft so that they, in turn, can develop and deploy innovative touch-free applications for their businesses and customers,” said Kinect for Windows director Bob Heddle in a blog post.

“A new Kinect for Windows sensor and software development kit (SDK) are core to that commitment.”

The new Kinect for Windows sensor will have four key features. They are:

Microsoft image

• Higher fidelity
The new sensor includes a high-definition color camera and a new noise-isolating multi-microphone array that neutralizes ambient noise to pick up natural speaking voices no mater how busy or loud the environment.

Microsoft’s Time-of-Flight technology, which measures how long it takes individual photons to rebound off an object or person to create “unprecedented accuracy and precision,” will also be part of the system. The combination of the two technologies will provide a more meticulous way to detect movements and voice commands.

• Expanded field of view
“The expanded field of view accommodates a multitude of differently sized rooms, minimizing the need to modify existing room configurations and opening up new solution-development opportunities,” Heddle said. “The combination of the new sensor’s higher fidelity plus expanded field of view will give businesses the tools they need to create truly untethered, natural computing experiences.”

For instance, the sensor will enable clicker-free presentations and speeches and smoother gesture recognition for quick connections on the go.

• Improved skeletal tracking
The new sensor tracks more of the human body such as the tip of the hand and thumb and can track six bodies at the same time. This tool “opens up a range of new scenarios,” Heddle said, such as improved “avateering” and the development of new and improved rehabilitation and physical fitness solutions.

• New active infrared (IR)
The new active IR capabilities enable the new sensor to perform in most lighting conditions. This tool offers developers better built-in recognition capabilities for a number of settings.

Microsoft will share more details about how developers and designers can adopt these new technologies at its developers conference, BUILD 2013, at the end of next month.

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Microsoft to Launch Kinect for Windows in 2014

Microsoft’s Kinect sensor for its new Xbox One console will come to Windows next year, accelerating the development of voice and gesture experiences on computers.

The Kinect sensor for Xbox and the new Kinect for Windows sensor are being built on a shared set of technologies in a bid to “revolutionize computing experiences,” the company said.

“We’re continuing our commitment to equipping businesses and organizations with the latest natural technology from Microsoft so that they, in turn, can develop and deploy innovative touch-free applications for their businesses and customers,” said Kinect for Windows director Bob Heddle in a blog post.

“A new Kinect for Windows sensor and software development kit (SDK) are core to that commitment.”

The new Kinect for Windows sensor will have four key features. They are:

Microsoft image

• Higher fidelity
The new sensor includes a high-definition color camera and a new noise-isolating multi-microphone array that neutralizes ambient noise to pick up natural speaking voices no mater how busy or loud the environment.

Microsoft’s Time-of-Flight technology, which measures how long it takes individual photons to rebound off an object or person to create “unprecedented accuracy and precision,” will also be part of the system. The combination of the two technologies will provide a more meticulous way to detect movements and voice commands.

• Expanded field of view
“The expanded field of view accommodates a multitude of differently sized rooms, minimizing the need to modify existing room configurations and opening up new solution-development opportunities,” Heddle said. “The combination of the new sensor’s higher fidelity plus expanded field of view will give businesses the tools they need to create truly untethered, natural computing experiences.”

For instance, the sensor will enable clicker-free presentations and speeches and smoother gesture recognition for quick connections on the go.

• Improved skeletal tracking
The new sensor tracks more of the human body such as the tip of the hand and thumb and can track six bodies at the same time. This tool “opens up a range of new scenarios,” Heddle said, such as improved “avateering” and the development of new and improved rehabilitation and physical fitness solutions.

• New active infrared (IR)
The new active IR capabilities enable the new sensor to perform in most lighting conditions. This tool offers developers better built-in recognition capabilities for a number of settings.

Microsoft will share more details about how developers and designers can adopt these new technologies at its developers conference, BUILD 2013, at the end of next month.

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Microsoft to Launch Kinect for Windows in 2104

 Google’s attempt to have a U.S.-wide sales ban instituted on Microsoft’s Xbox has been rejected by the International Trade Commission (ITC), saving the software giant billions of dollars in royalties.

The ITC upheld last month’s ruling by U.S. District Judge James Robart, that Microsoft’s Xbox does not violate a patent owned by Google holding Motorola Mobility.

The Commission has terminated further investigation into the matter.

“This is a win for Xbox customers and confirms our view that Google had no grounds to block our products,” said Microsoft deputy general counsel David Howard in a statement.

Motorola had little to say about the ruling: “We’re disappointed with this decision and are evaluating our options,” a spokesperson said.

Robart ruled last month that Motorola Mobility is entitled to $1.8 million in annual royalty fees from Microsoft — far less than the $4 billion the Google-owned company asked for.

Robart said Microsoft should not have to pay the substantial patent fees Motorola was requesting for the software giant’s use of wireless and video-encoding patents in its Xbox and Windows products because the patents at issue are part of industry standards.

Microsoft, during last fall’s trial, said it sought to license the patents associated with H.264 video and the 802.11 Wi-Fi standard in 2010, but was unable to reach a “fair” resolution with Motorola who wanted $4 billion a year for the use of its video streaming and Wi-Fi technology.

The software giant indicated it was prepared to pay a royalty, but added the 2.25 percent of the product price Motorola was requesting was not only unfair, but violated its promise to license the patents fairly. Microsoft had suggested a $1 million fee.

Robart, it turns out, agreed with Microsoft, although he did rule the software firm pay a little more than it had suggested.

Robart has laid out a RAND (reasonable and non-discriminatory) royalty rate and a RAND royalty range for both patents. In a 207-page ruling, he determined “more than one rate could conceivably be RAND.”

He said Motorola was entitled to 0.555 cents per unit sold for use of its H.264 standard-essential patents (SEPs). He set the upper bound at 16.389 cents per unit.

“This rate and this range are applicable to both Microsoft Windows and Xbox products,” reads an April Essential Patent Blog post. “For all other Microsoft products using the H.264 Standard, the royalty rate will be the lower bound of 0.555 cents.”

Robart set the RAND royalty rate for Motorola’s 802.11 SEP at 3.471 cents per unit with an upper rate of 19.5 cents. The range is specifically for Xbox products. The lower rate will apply to all other Microsoft products.

It is thought that Robart’s ruling could very well set a precedent in how to price patents that are part of industry standards.

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ITC Says Xbox Does Not Breach Motorola Patent

Find Personal Photos in Google Search

Google is now making it possible for users to find their own photos via Google Search.

The new feature is a way to aid those with extensive libraries or multiple devices to be able to easily find the specific photos they are looking for.

“You’ll be able to find your photos more easily and connect with the friends, places and events in your Google+ photos,” Google+ product manager Matthew Kulick said in a blog post.

“For example, now you can search for your friend’s wedding photos or pictures from a concert you attended recently. To make computers do the hard work for you, we’ve also begun using computer vision and machine learning to help recognize more general concepts in your photos such as sunsets, food and flowers.”

To use the new feature, sign in to a Google+ enabled Google account and search for (my photos) or get specific, for example (my wedding photos) or (Joe’s birthday party photos).

So far, this feature is available only to English-speaking users.

Amazon’s Kindle Fire Tablets Available in 170 Countries        

Amazon is expanding its mobile reach with its Kindle Fire HD and Kindle Fire HD 8.9 tablets now available for pre-order from Amazon.com in 170 countries across the globe.

The online retailer announced Thursday (May 23) shipments of the $284 Kindle Fire HD 8.9 and $214 Kindle Fire HD will begin June 13.

“Kindle Fire HD is the No. 1 best-selling item in the world for Amazon since its launch, and we’re thrilled to make it available to even more customers around the globe today,” Amazon Kindle vice-president Dave Limp said in a press release.  

“Not only does Kindle Fire feature advanced hardware, it’s also a service. When combined with our content ecosystem, great email and browsing and top-rated customer service, we hope people around the world will agree that Kindle Fire HD is the best tablet for an incredible price.”

The tablets come with dual-band Wi-Fi and support Bluetooth. The 8.9-inch tablet features 254 pixels per inch with a resolution of 1920×1200. The seven-inch Kindle Fire HD has a 1280×800 resolution.

The device also has a front-facing HD camera and is available with 16 GB or 32 GB of on-device storage.

New Chrome Offers ‘Richer Notifications”

Google has launched a beta version of Chrome that offers users “richer notifications” from the browser’s apps and extensions.

While Chrome has offered these notifications for more than two years, Google has revamped the user interface.

“We’ve designed these notifications to be beautiful, useful and engaging,” said Chrome product manager Somas Thyagaraja in a blog post.

“They can display formatted text and images, and can include actions directly inside the pop-up (so you can respond to that e-mail right away).”

Missed notifications can be found all in one place in the notification center. Users also have the option of disabling notifications from any source, either permanently or temporarily.

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Technology News Briefs — May 24, 2013

Growing a blog isn’t easy, yet many dream of being of a successful blogger. What key habits set successful bloggers apart from the thousands of blogs that are eventually abandoned and fail?

Like many things in life, it comes down to habit. Successful bloggers have proven and tested routines and approaches they perform faithfully, pushing their blogs to greater and greater success.

Here are seven key habits to becoming a well-known blogger:

They write in an easy-to-read and flowing style

Where new bloggers often agonize every word, and need multiple revisions before their pieces are “perfect,” successful bloggers have found a way to write in a flowing and conversational style. This is not to say they don’t do research and use facts — they do — but they find a way to incorporate those facts into an engaging and interesting story. The very best bloggers can make you feel like you’re having a direct and personal conversation with them, just as you would a close friend.

They write — a lot

As the saying goes: “If you want to be a writer, you must write.” And, therefore, if you want to be a blogger, you must blog.

Writing, like many other skills, improves with practice. The more you blog, the better you’ll blog.

They share personal examples and stories

They let you know what they’re thinking about, what they’re trying, what worked, and what didn’t. They are constantly learning about blogging, and also, actually, about life — and they are open in sharing their experiences. This process of being human helps them build large and committed followings.

They engage through pictures and data

While crafting the content as a story, successful bloggers know their blog is more interesting when it has pictures and data.

They use both liberally. They are not afraid to expand on data gathered by others, or to collect their own. They often use images in a way that captures attention and certainly furthers the story. They pay attention to the visual appeal of their post, alongside the written appeal.

They are active members of the community

Successful bloggers are quick to build connections and take part in their online communities. They like, share, comment, and curate when they find work that is worthy of notice. They are glad to share additional resources and information with their communities, and are happy to give help and receive help.

They have opinions and share them

The best blogs are written from a point of view — a perspective. They are not just aggregators of information, but, instead, offer tailored and deliberate points of view. Successful bloggers share what they stand for, and are not afraid to give their opinions. This helps them stand out in the sea of other bloggers who might be writing on the same thing. Successful bloggers are willing to be human and vulnerable.

They commit to their blogs

One study I read suggests that more than 181 million blogs come online each year, and the bulk of them will be abandoned within six months.

Successful bloggers commit to their blogs as a long-term endeavor. They work steadily and consistently to build their readership and their alliances. They know they need to be committed to their blogs to have worthwhile results.

These are the seven key habits of successful bloggers. Which will you polish up to make your blog more successful?

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The Seven Key Habits of Successful Bloggers

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Mobile devices and social media in the workplace

You will find more statistics at Statista

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Top 15% of Twitter Users Account for 85% of All Tweets

With 50 percent of Facebook’s users now accessing the social network with their mobile device — either in a mobile browser or through the mobile app — Facebook has been moving into a “mobile first” update philosophy. The rethinking of their update strategy is a good decision, considering there will soon be more Facebook users accessing the site on their Smartphones than their desktop computers. In the past, Facebook has typically rolled out updates to desktop users first, then adapted them to the constraints of mobile.

New Mobile Brand Pages Will Get Customers in Your Door

One of the first “mobile-first” updates? Facebook’s new brand pages, which put more emphasis on what is really useful to a consumer, with more obvious call and check in buttons, a large map, hours, a price range, and star rating all visible without having to scroll. To gain the extra real estate, the profile picture, business title, and industry have been moved up within the cover photo, and the number of likes and check ins have been pushed below the fold. Overall the changes make for a cleaner page with more clearly defined calls to action and simpler navigational structure.

Page owners will notice their pinned posts now appear higher on the page, making it easier for customers to spot specials and promotions. In addition, it’s now easier than ever to switch between admin and public views directly from your mobile device.

Ever since introducing Nearby in December, Facebook has been promoting Pages as a way to get Facebook users into the doors of their local businesses and this new update is only reaffirming that.

Get Up-to-Date

Facebook is determined to help you promote your business, but are you ready? If you’ve been a little lax about keeping on top of your social media, now is the time to fix that. Make sure that your store’s address and phone number are correct and that your hours are current. Encourage your customers to leave you positive feedback on your Facebook Page, as both reviews and recommendations affect your star rating and the ranking of your page in Graph Search.

If you aren’t taking advantage of pinned posts, you’re missing out. You can use these posts to offer special discounts to your Facebook following, but you don’t have to. Restaurants can pin their daily or weekly specials, and you can also pin brand announcements, links to your blog posts, or videos. Take charge of this opportunity to promote some part of your business as the first thing your fans see on your page.

Not a Brick-and-Mortar Store? Not a problem!

You don’t have to have a storefront to benefit from Facebook’s new brand pages, or Facebook Pages in general. Depending on the type of business you have defined on your Page, the call to action buttons change (“check in” and “call” can be switched out for “message” and “share”) and more emphasis is placed on your About section, a snippet of which appears highly with a button to view more information.

Sarah Kessler from Fast Company and Katie Elizabeth from ReveNews shared some great examples of how non-brick-and-mortar stores can still take advantage of these updates. Their examples of publishing organizations and eCommerce venues are more relevant to many businesses.

The Race is On

Facebook is moving to compete directly with services like Yelp, Google Places, and Foursquare, which all offer the same kind of content as brand pages. Facebook and Google Places, with their tie-in to their social networks, are especially promising. While these sites are struggling for first place in the local classifieds provider race, your brand can benefit by keeping a solid presence on all of them.

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Facebook Revamps Mobile Brand Pages

For the legions of fans who use it, Google Analytics is an indispensable tool that allows site owners to segment their audience in a granular fashion, learning what works best for each slice. Data can be segmented in a multitude of ways, from geo-targeted traits to specific applications, screens, and custom dimensions.

It’s common sense that aggregate data is meaningless in its raw form; to find the value, you must see the stories that the data is attempting to tell. Thanks to recent filter additions and updates, Google Analytics now gives site owners the ability to slice and dice their audience metrics all the more. The more you fully grasp how, when, where, and why your users are engaging with your content, the more you can grow your business and give the people what they want. Take a little time to get up to speed on the new Google Analytics features and amp up your site-building know-how.

General Instructions on How to Use Google Analytics

In order to unleash the power of this free tool, you’ll first need to set up the service on any site you manage. To do so, set up an account specifically for the site you wish to track, and paste the generated commands into your site’s code. Then re-access the Google Analytics dashboard, and from then on, traffic data will be tracked.

Your main dashboard shows a summary of the data trafficked via your site. This dashboard is fully customizable, so as you browse around the various report types, just hit the “Add to Dashboard” option for any data you’d like to see on your main analytics page. Go deeper into the metrics by clicking “View Report” for any particular data segment, or adjust your date range to compare results for specific chunks of time. Reports are all shareable, and can be imported into visual charts and graphs, so you can layout the data in a manner that best suits your comprehension needs.

Let’s Get Granular

Google Analytics recently beefed-up their filter offerings, giving a higher level of granularity to many of their metrics. This empowers site owners and marketers all the more, because to truly see the success of your inbound marketing strategies, you must analyze segments of data to see where there are strengths and weaknesses. You’ll also want to divide these site segments into meaningful groups, based on certain demographic parameters. This will aid you in fully grasping the behaviors of your audience.

The new filter additions allow site owners to segment their audience to even more micromanaging degrees. Keep in mind that these changes only impact the actual filters, and not advanced segments. Filters and advanced segments are two separate ways to look at data in Google Analytics. Filters work on the profile level, so when a filter is activated, Analytics won’t gather any visitor data if they do not match. Advanced segments, however, collects all data, and then data is included or excluded once a report is generated.

Big News for Mobile Developers

There are many new ways to filter profiles. The old set-up grouped all aspects of “Mobile” users into one segment, but the new filters let us go a bit more hog wild.

The following fields are now available for segmenting:

• Is a mobile device and “Is a tablet” – these now let users distinguish between screen sizes.
• Mobile brand name – gives the ability to search by mobile brands like HTC, Samsung, etc. Devices may also be branded by their carriers, like Apple or Verizon.
• Mobile model name – now marketers can understand specific behaviors based on the exact phone users are on, like iPhone versions and HTC Evo versus Samsung Epic, etc.
• Mobile marketing name – some phones have different marketing names versus their actual hardware names. As an example, the Galaxy S3 is the marketing name of a device that has two totally separate models.
• Mobile pointing method – some phones come equipped with an actual physical keyboard, so this filter lets you see users accessing keyboards versus the onscreen keyboard.
• Mobile has QWERTY keyboard? – this answers the question of whether or not the device has a physical keyboard.
• Mobile is NFC supported? – differentiates between phones that have NFC, or “Near Field Communication”, and those that don’t.
• Mobile has cellular radio? and “Mobile has Wi-Fi?”- same as above, for their respective technologies.

It’s no longer necessary for marketers to know the nuances of the various mobile devices, as the analytics will highlight differences in technologies. For those developing and maintaining mobile apps, this level of granularity is a goldmine.

Additional New Filters

There are loads more new filters to play with outside of the mobile space.

Some highlights include:

Social filters

• Social network – lists the social network where the highlighted event has occurred (Facebook, Google+, etc.)
• Social action – outlines the specific social engagement that occurred during the event, which includes a Facebook Like, Google +1, etc.
• Social action target – specifically names the content that triggered the social action above, such as the URL or text that was Liked.

Content & Traffic

• Hit type – defines the type of hit that occurred, such as appview, page, transaction, social, event, etc.
• Internal search term – shows the search terms used in the given property’s internal search engine.
• Internal search type – displays searches that were specific to a category or area of a property (like “Menswear”)

Audience / Users

• Browser size – reveals the pixel dimensions of the browser display.
• IP version – shows the user’s IP version (IPV4, etc.)

E-commerce:

• Local currency code – lists a currency code used for the given transaction.

For more information on how to use every single filter available in Google Analytics (and there are oodles!), see the Google Analytics Documentation site. And enjoy the new power the additional filters bring to your marketing prowess!

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Google Analytics Adds Powerful New Filters

Kim Dotcom, who claims to be the inventor of two-step authentication, is threatening to sue Google, Facebook, Twitter and other companies that use the technology.

The eccentric founder of new Internet hosting service, Mega, says he doesn’t really want to sue anyone, but he desperately needs money — and a lot of it — to pay for his legal costs as he fights charges of deliberate and repeated copyright violations connected to Megaupload, a popular file-sharing site that was shutdown following the indictment and arrests of Dotcom and fellow owners in January 2012 by the United States Department of Justice.

The indictment said Dotcom and the other owners infringed the copyrights of certain motion pictures, television programs, musical recordings, electronic books, images, video games, and other computer software, by reproducing and distributing over the Internet.

Domain names were seized and sites connected to Megaupload were shut down by the DoJ.

Dotcom, who maintains he is innocent of any wrongdoing, has said he will “fight to the end” to clear his name.

Dotcom took to Twitter Wednesday and today, posting various indignant comments.

“Twitter introduces Two-Step-Authentication. Using my invention. But they won’t even verify my Twitter account?!” he tweeted.

“Google, Facebook, Twitter, Citibank, etc. offer Two-Step Authentication. Massive IP infringement by U.S. companies. My innovation. My patent.”

Dotcom even offered up some “proof” that two-step authentication is his creation.

“Big reveal: 1 billion+ Two-Step-Authentications on the Internet weekly,” he tweeted. “I invented it. Here’s proof: https://www.google.com/patents/US6078908 …”

The  patent, which is filed under Dotcom’s previous name — Kim Schmitz — “relates to a method and to a device for the authorization in data transmission systems employing a transaction authorization number (TAN) or a comparable password.”

Dotcom said he never bothered to sue companies before because he believes  “in sharing knowledge and ideas for the good of society. But I might sue them now cause of what the U.S. did to me.”

“Google, Facebook, Twitter, I ask you for help,” he added later. “We are all in the same DMCA boat. Use my patent for free. But please help funding my defense.”

With two-step verification, users must enter their password and a verification code when signing into an account. The code, usually, is sent to the user’s phone via text, voice call, or mobile app.

During sign-in, the user often can request the service no longer ask for a verification code on that particular computer. From that point on, only the user’s password will be required. However, if the user or someone else tries to sign in from a different computer, a verification code will be required to gain access to the account.

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Kim Dotcom Threatens Patent Infringement Suit Against Google, Facebook, Twitter

Google wants to help business owners measure their goals.

A recent upgrade of Goals in Google Analytics makes it easier for business owners to measure customer behavior as well as assess their own performances.

“Sales are just one possible goal—there are many other important interactions that may be valuable to your business, such as media plays, social connections, newsletter sign-ups, a minimum purchase value, or the amount of time spent on a screen,” Google Analytics product manager Stefan F. Schnabl wrote in a blog post.  “Using Goals, you can measure these types of engagement activities and track how these interactions help you to meet your larger business objectives.”

Live now in Goals in Google Analytics are a new set-up flow, new templates and new verification capabilities.

Here is how to get started:

• Goals are set at the profile level in Google Analytics accounts. To find a profile, click the Admin tab and then go to the account, property, and profile you want.

• Click Goals, then create a Goal.

• Follow the flow to set up and start measuring your Goals.

• For help setting up Goals, visit Google’s help center.

Google image

New templates

Both redesigned and new templates are available in the Goals set-up flow so users can quickly add important and “actionable” Goals to their Analytics account.

“When you use a template, the Goal setup flow is pre-filled with suggested values (based on your industry) that you can either keep or change as you walk through the process,” Schnabl said. The templates are organized into four business objectives (revenue, acquisition, inquiry, engagement) to help you think about the purpose of each Goal, plus you can still create custom goals.”

Schnabl said “revenue” goals don’t have to be a direct sale, but any user activity that has a significant impact on the owner’s business, such as a potential customer scheduling an appointment.

Schnabl also recommends business owners make sure they are using the template best suited for their companies. To choose or change templates, go to property settings to “choose the one that best describes your business.”

Verify Goals
A verify option exists at the end of the setup flow to enable users to see what the conversion rate would have been for the past seven days had a particular Goal been setup.

“Using the verify option gives you immediate feedback, so you can decide to save or modify the Goal configuration you’re working on,” he said.

Analyze Goals performance

The Goals Overview report, located under the Conversions section, allows users to see how their goal completions happen over time. Use the metric selector in the Goals Overview report to choose the relevant metric.

“Develop a sense how often a Goal conversion happens, and look to identify relationships between different Goals,” Schnabl said.

Schnabl gave some examples of how to analyze different goals:

• Select a single Goal and observe the performance over time. Use the date range selector and compare the Goal performance month on month, or quarter on quarter. This way you can compare seasonal trends, and the growth rate of your goal over time.

Google image

• Selecting two Goal completion metrics next to each other will allow you to see correlational effects over time. A Goal measuring site engagement, like a media interaction, or a social share, could be indicative of a rise in sales.

Google image

“Ultimately, understanding how your users interact with your site allows you to make important decisions about site content and effective use of your marketing and advertising resources,” Schnabl said.

He also suggested perusing the reports in Multi-Channel Funnels which focus on visitors’ “entire path to conversion.” This even includes the various  off-site interactions they had prior to making a purchase.

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Google Analytics Tool Helps Businesses Track Customer Behavior, Appraise Own Performance

Apple has added five new patents to its infringement lawsuit against Samsung — three are for its flagship Smartphone the Galaxy S4 and two are for Google Now for Android.

The current lawsuit addresses software and user interface patents, the main reason why Google, maker of the Android operating system, is being dragged into the dispute.

Apple alleges Samsung has violated additional patents, including the rights to the search technology integrated in the iPhone Siri voice feature.

“The Galaxy S4 product practices many of the same claims already asserted by Apple … in the same way as the already-accused Samsung devices,” the filing states.

Samsung Galaxy S4

Apple said it has had problems obtaining source code from Samsung and Google, despite serving the parties with a subpoena Sept. 28, 2012.

“Google (represented by the same law firm as Samsung) did not make available the bulk of its source code until March 31, 2013, and did not complete its production until May 13, 2013,” the filing reads.

“Despite diligent efforts, because of delays and issues with Samsung’s on-going production of source code, as well as delays in Google’s production of source code, Apple was only recently able to complete its analysis of the relevant confidential code.”

Apple said it investigated Google Play Books, Google Play Music, Google Play Movies and TV, Google Play Store and Android Market to determine sources of patent violation on Samsung devices.

Apple is to explain its motion in a June 25 hearing in a San Jose court before Judge Paul S. Grewal.

The patent violation case is scheduled for trial in March 2014, although it may be put on hold until after an appeals court resolves a separate lawsuit between the two companies — which could be some months away.

This will be the second major lawsuit Apple has launched against its rival.

A jury verdict last August found Samsung had violated six of Apple’s patents and ordered the South Korean company to pay Apple $1.05 billion. If the ruling holds up, it will set the record as the largest patent verdict in history.

Apple appealed for more than half a billion dollars in additional damages against Samsung for patent violation after losing its bid for a sales ban against 26 of Samsung handsets last fall.

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Apple Says Galaxy S4, Google Now Breach Patents

Twitter is fighting back against the hackers who have breached the accounts of some of its biggest clients by launching ‘login verification,’ a two-step authentication process to bolster its security, the social network has announced.

A number of corporations have been hacked on the social networking site in recent months including Burger King, Jeep, The BBC, The Associated Press and, most recently, The Financial Times. Also, 250,000 of Twitter’s 250 million members were hacked in January.

The new login verification feature is now available to all Twitter users.

“When you sign in to Twitter.com, there’s a second check to make sure it’s really you,” Jim O’Leary of Twitter’s product security team wrote in a blog post. “You’ll be asked to register a verified phone number and a confirmed e-mail address.”

Those wishing to implement the new security measure should follow these steps:

• Visit your account settings page.

• Select ‘Require a verification code when I sign in.’

• Click on the link to ‘add a phone’ and follow the instructions.

• After you sign up for login verification, you then must choose a six-digit code that will be sent to your phone via SMS each time you sign in to twitter.com.

To sign in to your Twitter account on other devices or apps, you must visit your applications page to create a temporary password to log in and authorize the device or app in question.

“Of course, even with this new security option turned on, it’s still important for you to use a strong password and follow the rest of our advice for keeping your account secure,” O’Leary said.

In a blog post earlier this year, Twitter director of information security Bob Lord also stressed the importance of using a strong password. He offered four tips to Twitter users to improve account security. Here is an excerpt from the blog:

• Use a strong password. Your password should be at least 10 characters that include upper and lower case characters, numbers, and symbols. You should always use a unique password for each website you use; that way, if one account gets compromised, the rest are safe. 

• Watch out for suspicious links, and always make sure you’re on Twitter.com before you enter your login information. Be cautious when clicking on links in Direct Messages. Whenever you are prompted to enter your Twitter password, just take a quick look at the URL and make sure you’re actually on Twitter.com. Phishing websites will often look just like Twitter’s login page, but will actually be for destinations other than Twitter. If ever in doubt, just go directly to twitter.com in your browser. 

• Don’t give your username and password out to unknown third parties, especially those promising to get you followers or make you money. When you give your username and password to someone else, they get complete control of your account and can lock you out of your account or take actions that cause your account to be suspended. Be wary of any application that promises to make you money or get you followers. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! 

• Make sure your computer and operating system is up to date with the most recent patches, upgrades, and anti-virus software. Keep your browser and operating system updated with the most current versions and patches; patches are often released to address particular security threats. 

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Twitter Launches Two-Factor Identification to Fight Account Hacks

HTC on its Last Legs?

HTC’s chief product officer Kouji Kodera has left the Taiwanese company — one of a number of key employees the firm has lost in recent months, The Verge is reporting.

Kodera, who apparently left HTC last week, led product strategy for the firm.

Gone from HTC’s Seattle-based office are Jason Gordon, the company’s vice president of global communications, global retail marketing manager Rebecca Rowland, director of digital marketing John Starkweather and product strategy manager Eric Lin.

In a recent tweet Lin advised his former co-workers to quit.

“To all my friends still at @HTC – just quit. leave now. it’s tough to do, but you’ll be so much happier, I swear.”

CNet said HTC Asia’s CEO Lennard Hoornik has also left the company.

HTC has had a tough few years with last year’s One X and this year’s One failing to capture consumer interest. The HTC First, also known as the Facebook phone because the social network is pre-installed on the device, also bombed.

A source recently told BGR AT&T is discontinuing the “Facebook phone” and unsold inventory will be returned to HTC. And that inventory is likely to be considerable. According to BGR’s source, AT&T sold fewer than 15,000 devices nationwide, even after the price was cut down to less than one dollar.

The price for the device, which is being sold exclusively by AT&T, went from $99 to 99 cents with a two-year contract — an obvious bid to get rid of inventory — one that didn’t work.

Teen’s Tiny Device Charges Cellphones in 20 to 30 Seconds

Californian teenager Eesha Khare’s science project could well become the next big thing in the mobile world.

Khare, an 18-year-old high school senior, recently won the Young Scientist Award by the Intel Foundation for inventing a device with the potential to charge a cellphone in 20 to 30 seconds.

The tiny, portable device can fit inside of cellphones and other devices, eliminating the need to plug the gadgets in daily.

Eesha said her “supercapacitor” acts as an energy storage device.

“It can charge very quickly and it can last through 10,000 cycles compared to batteries which are only 1,000 cycles,” Khare said. “It’s a much greater improvement in the field of energy storage.”

Her inspiration for the project was simple: “My cell phone battery always dies,” she told NBC News.

Verizon, Jennifer Lopez Team Up to Reach Latino Demographic

Verizon Wireless is partnering with actress and pop star Jennifer Lopez to target the large and constantly growing Latino mobile market.

Viva Móvil by Jennifer Lopez is Verizon Wireless’ newest premium retailer. The partnership, which was announced during a press conference at the CTIA Wireless Conference in Las Vegas Wednesday (May 22), is a bid to use Lopez’s star power to cater to a powerful demographic “that shops differently.”

Viva Movil, which is to open its first store in New York City June 15, will open 15 stores this year in various cities including in Miami and Los Angeles. The mobile firm will also sell via its Facebook page.

Lopez, chief creative officer for Viva Movil, said the retail stores will be family-oriented — something that is very important to Latinos who often shop with their children — as well as bilingual. Each store will have a play area for children, a variety of devices for consumers to try before buying and knowledgeable bilingual staff.

“We are bicultural, bilingual, and increasingly U.S.-born,” Lopez was quoted by PC World. “As modern Latinos, we do things differently, including how we shop for wireless devices.”

Verizon COO Marni Walden said Verizon will incorporate some of the Viva Movil store concept ideas into its own retail outlets.

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Technology News Briefs — May 23, 2013

There are now over 1 million smartphone and tablet applications available in the various online stores. According to a recent study by the E-tailing Group, phone and tablet users spend 82 percent of their mobile minutes with applications, and just 18 percent with web browsers. The average person has 40 apps downloaded, and regularly uses 15.

Since mobile usage continues to skyrocket, it’s clear that if you want to grab the attention of small screen users, you have to do so through an app, not (just) a mobile website. Savvy content developers, however, have discovered that engaging applications can often drive higher traffic numbers via the web to sites of all classifications. The same is true for critical inclusion inside the most heavily used aggregation apps. So if you want to increase traffic and revenues on your ecommerce site, blog, or other web space, engaging with mobile users is a critical strategy.

Application Considerations

If your business has yet to jump into the world of apps, you have a couple of considerations to ponder before development. Answers to these questions will help you determine if a native app is required, and if so what platform, as well as the choice to just be included inside the biggest apps in the biz.

• Know your audience – A deep and detailed understanding of who your target audience truly is remains critical to success in all arenas. If your metrics show you attract a different audience than you intend, don’t be afraid to be organic and shift perspectives, or to broaden your horizons. Our instincts about who will be best served by the products we offer aren’t always spot-on. Trust the data, and act accordingly.
• Know what makes a great application in your space – Before you dive into application production, study the market to see what exists in your niche, and find what’s working and what’s not. Don’t duplicate the efforts of a competitor; make sure what you offer is both filling a need and unique to the space. Since users engage regularly with just 15 apps, you don’t have the luxury of repeating what’s been done. It may be that you decide to be included inside the likes of eBay, CraigsList, Yelp, and other big names. Don’t assume you have to reinvent the wheel to be successful.

Types of Applications

Smartphone and tablet applications fit 5 distinct categories, and not all may be appropriate for your business.

The categories are:

1) Games – It’s no secret that people love to play games. The gamification of the app world has taken every day activities like eating out and running errands and made them competitive (thank you, FourSquare). 42 percent of time spent on mobile devices involves playing games.

2) Social Networks – Facebook is the obvious example, and apps like these take up 31 percent of smartphone users’ attention and time. It’s not wise to take on the creation of a new social networking app, unless that’s already your core business, but you can use the Facebook addiction to your advantage. Facebook has made mobile advertising its top priority now, with targeted ad buys appearing in user feeds, making this a great marketing option to reach the mobile audience.

3) Information Discovery – Big names like Yelp, CraigsList, and TripAdvisor get very high traffic on their apps, which people use to access the next film, restaurant, concert, activity, or vendor they’ll partake in. If your business relates in any way to the content these discovery apps offer, you should petition each app/site to also be included.

4) Utilities – Considered the primary way people interact with their phones and tablets, utility apps include things like email, calendars, maps, cameras, and clocks.

5) Branded Applications – Major brands like Burger King and Nike have a myriad of app choices with heavy branding. These are normally less popular than more ubiquitous options, but when they go viral, it’s a huge windfall.

iPhone Versus Android

All mobile users are not created equal. Per a new report from the Arbitron Mobile US Smartphone Panel, iPhone users engage with apps 54 percent more than their Android counterparts. iPhone users additionally spend 20 percent more time with apps (an average of 105.3 minutes per month, versus 87.6 for Androids), and shop 19 percent more too. If you’re going native, iPhone still reigns supreme.

The Most Popular Apps

The app that boasts the highest traffic is eBay, used by 14.3 percent of US smartphone owners. Amazon Mobile is second, followed by Groupon, Passbook, and CraigsList. These are your top five aggregators if you’re after a mobile audience. If, for example, you own an online business, you should absolutely be selling some of your products on eBay, if only to expand your horizons and find new customers.

While more users access web domains than application counterparts, they spend far more time interacting with app content. The top ranking mobile domain is Amazon, accessed by 34.7 percent of users. Their corresponding application has only a third of that traffic, but users spend twice as much time (19.8 minutes versus 40.) Since engagement offers the keys to the kingdom in online revenues, applications clearly offer more revenue boosting opportunities than their web domain counterparts.

The conclusion is clear: If you’re not playing in the mobile space, you’re missing the boat. Whether you determine your business would most benefit from creating their own app, or you garner inclusion in the world’s biggest discovery apps, you need to have phone and tablet users engaging with your brand. Apps are available everywhere these days; from the Apple Store and Google Play to Windows 8, Facebook, and beyond. Mobile isn’t just the wave of the future, it’s the platform of today.

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Drawing Visitors to Your Site with Tablet and Smartphone Apps

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Siri vs. Google Voice Search

You will find more statistics at Statista

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eBooks Account for 23% of U.S. Publisher Sales in 2012

In recent years, pay per click (PPC) advertising has become wildly popular among small business owners seeking to increase their online traffic and improve ranking in search engine results. Knowing how to keep your costs down, while at the same time meeting your advertising goals, is an important component of a successful PPC campaign. Here are some key factors to consider before launching a pay per click advertising campaign of your own:

1. Enticing Advantages

For business owners looking for a cost-effective way to drive more traffic to a website, PPC offers many advantages:

• You set your budget and enjoy low start-up costs – (search engines do not charge to insert a PPC advertisement; but an initial set up cost may apply).
• Real-time trackability gives you immediate feedback on how your ad is performing; this feature allows you to make responsive parameter adjustments.
• PPC provides an opportunity for any business anywhere in the world to gain increased visibility through ads that appear on the search results page.

2. Pay per Click vs. Offline Advertising

With the advent and wide acceptance of mobile devices, pay per click advertising offers customers the opportunity to view your ad any time of the day or night. In addition to the convenience factor, PPC delivers other features that offline advertising just can’t do. With PPC:

• Customers are in the driver’s seat informing themselves about your brand at their own pace. Further, PPC allows for a greater range of engagement, such as:
  • Direct sales options;
  • Links to read or to post a review;
  • Instant social media connections through tools like Twitter and FB.
• Site names are easier to remember and can be instantly bookmarked for later browsing (which then travels with customers on their mobile device unlike print material which is rarely available when you really need it).
• Contact information is kept current and easily accessible; your business location can easily be mapped while the customer is still interacting with other features on your site.

3. Tips to Jumpstart your PPC plan

Paid search options for digital marketing can be effective for business owners seeking an increase in search engine visibility, but sometimes PPC campaigns can be frustrating and costly. To avoid the common beginner pitfalls, here are a few pay per click tips that can help you get the most out of your time and money.

• Set a reasonable budget or roll out your plan in stages.
• Narrowing keywords down (making them very specific) should lessen the competition for them.
• Check the default settings and then check them again; all of Google’s default settings may not be best for you and can cost you more than you intend to spend.
• Focus on geographic areas where you will most likely get conversions.
• Take advantage of “day parting” where you have certain ads run at various times of the day; just be sure to adjust for time zone differences.

Put part of your budget into developing metrics to enhance your PPC results and adjust parameters according to usage.

4. Pay per Click isn’t right for every situation

While PPC can be highly profitable when clicks convert to sales; there are times when pay per click is not the right choice. Here are some of those times:

• Your target market does not typically buy online or is not Internet savvy.
• You are in a highly-competitive, fully-saturated niche — (most likely you will end up paying too much with little ROI).
• You are selling something so new that people are not yet searching for it; social media would be best to create a “buzz” first.
• Your profit margins are small; the average click costs $1 to $2. Depending on the conversion rate for your product you may need lots of clicks to bring about a sale.

Knowing when PPC is right for you and how to plan out a strategy to maximize results is worth the time so that you do not waste valuable resources. Taking time to understand the whole pay per click landscape including the pitfalls can help you make wise decisions.

5. Conclusion

Trends and developments in digital marketing continue to unfold presenting both opportunities and challenges for business owners looking to improve website effectiveness and develop a profitable digital marketing campaign. While some business owners hire consultants, other savvy professionals enroll in Internet marketing training through online programs. Reputable online programs offer business leaders the opportunity to stay ahead of trends in search marketing and further develop valuable Web analytics skills. As the range of online tools available to promote a small business continues to evolve, business professionals who know how and when to use strategies like pay per click will remain ahead of the competition and will be better prepared to leverage future trends toward increased profitability.

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Pay Per Click Advertising: A Strategy for Better Profits