Tech Roundup: Oct 6, 2012
Facebook hits one billion user mark:
The blockbuster social network has finally something to cheer about. Months after going public, Facebook has announced that it had one billion active users as of September 14 12:45 PM PT (officially one-seventh of the world's population). In addition, it also revealed a number of interesting stats as follows:
>> 600 million users access it via mobile phones.
>> Its top five countries - Brazil, Indonesia, India, Mexico and USA (in alphabetical order).
>> Median age of the user - 22.
>> 1.13 trillion likes, 140.3 billion friend connection and 219 billion photo uploads since launch.
Facebook may have hit a high, but it's still experimenting ways to monetize and make money out of the venture (read YOU!). As part of this, it has begun testing a new feature called 'Promoted Posts' in the US which will make posts more noticeable and also enables the poster to know how many people have seen them. The feature, of course, is not free and costs 7$ per post. The social network's another point of interest seem to be ads, which are its primary source of revenues. "To amp up the effectiveness of its ads, Facebook in recent months has begun allowing marketers to target ads at users based on the email address and phone number they list on their profiles, or based on their surfing habits on other sites," writes Geoffrey A. Fowler for the Wall Street Journal.
Next Google Nexus from LG:
It's time for the next Google Nexus device. If grapevine is to be believed, Google is planning to launch its next Nexus phone in partnership with LG. The smartphone is said to be modeled on the Optimus G and is likely to include a quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, support for wireless charging and Android 4.2. The device is expected to be unveiled later this month. Google was earlier rumored to be refreshing its Galaxy Nexus with a new phone codenamed 'Superior' and it's still unclear if it's planning to come up with multiple nexii phones with various manufacturers.
Meego resurrects as Sailfish OS:
Remember the Meego OS from Nokia? The OS which powered the lone N9 was met with positive response, but unfortunately the platform saw its demise even before it could take off. The core team, which left the Finnish manufacturer to form their own startup named Jolla, has finally unveiled its next steps. The operating system, now rechristened Sailfish OS, will be demoed (along with its SDK and ecosystem) at an event in Helsinki on November 21-22.
Apple's iOS 6 Maps on recovery track:
After what can be called as an embarrassment for the company, Apple has quickly begun improving the iOS 6 Maps app. According to latest reports, glaring errors have been fixed though it seems it might be quite a while before the entire application becomes usable in places like India. In the meanwhile, Google has rolled out Street View on its web app. So you should be good to go!
HTC One X+ and the perils of Android:
Taiwanese phone manufacturer HTC has launched a new smartphone to rival its direct competitors - Samsung Galaxy S III and Apple iPhone 5. Named the One X+, it's almost identical to its predecessor (One X) save for its bigger battery (2,100mAh), extra storage (64 GB), a 1.7 GHz quad-core processor and 1.6 MP front camera. It is also the first HTC smartphone running on Android Jelly Bean reminding us of the bitter truth about Android - the lack of a proper upgrade path.
By releasing a new phone with the latest OS rather than upgrading its existing lineup, HTC has pretty much gone the same as other OEMs. Does that mean the One X, announced a couple of months back, is already outdated? When will Google fix this broken system? I think the manufacturers should stop releasing endless variants of the so-called 'flagship' phones in a single year. Launching multiple flagships is just a marketing gimmick to boost sales and Google should strictly ensure that the devices get at least two years of upgrade (like with iOS and Windows Phone 8).
In other news:
The blockbuster social network has finally something to cheer about. Months after going public, Facebook has announced that it had one billion active users as of September 14 12:45 PM PT (officially one-seventh of the world's population). In addition, it also revealed a number of interesting stats as follows:
>> 600 million users access it via mobile phones.
>> Its top five countries - Brazil, Indonesia, India, Mexico and USA (in alphabetical order).
>> Median age of the user - 22.
>> 1.13 trillion likes, 140.3 billion friend connection and 219 billion photo uploads since launch.
Facebook may have hit a high, but it's still experimenting ways to monetize and make money out of the venture (read YOU!). As part of this, it has begun testing a new feature called 'Promoted Posts' in the US which will make posts more noticeable and also enables the poster to know how many people have seen them. The feature, of course, is not free and costs 7$ per post. The social network's another point of interest seem to be ads, which are its primary source of revenues. "To amp up the effectiveness of its ads, Facebook in recent months has begun allowing marketers to target ads at users based on the email address and phone number they list on their profiles, or based on their surfing habits on other sites," writes Geoffrey A. Fowler for the Wall Street Journal.
Next Google Nexus from LG:
It's time for the next Google Nexus device. If grapevine is to be believed, Google is planning to launch its next Nexus phone in partnership with LG. The smartphone is said to be modeled on the Optimus G and is likely to include a quad-core processor, 2GB RAM, support for wireless charging and Android 4.2. The device is expected to be unveiled later this month. Google was earlier rumored to be refreshing its Galaxy Nexus with a new phone codenamed 'Superior' and it's still unclear if it's planning to come up with multiple nexii phones with various manufacturers.
Meego resurrects as Sailfish OS:
Remember the Meego OS from Nokia? The OS which powered the lone N9 was met with positive response, but unfortunately the platform saw its demise even before it could take off. The core team, which left the Finnish manufacturer to form their own startup named Jolla, has finally unveiled its next steps. The operating system, now rechristened Sailfish OS, will be demoed (along with its SDK and ecosystem) at an event in Helsinki on November 21-22.
Apple's iOS 6 Maps on recovery track:
After what can be called as an embarrassment for the company, Apple has quickly begun improving the iOS 6 Maps app. According to latest reports, glaring errors have been fixed though it seems it might be quite a while before the entire application becomes usable in places like India. In the meanwhile, Google has rolled out Street View on its web app. So you should be good to go!
HTC One X+ and the perils of Android:
Taiwanese phone manufacturer HTC has launched a new smartphone to rival its direct competitors - Samsung Galaxy S III and Apple iPhone 5. Named the One X+, it's almost identical to its predecessor (One X) save for its bigger battery (2,100mAh), extra storage (64 GB), a 1.7 GHz quad-core processor and 1.6 MP front camera. It is also the first HTC smartphone running on Android Jelly Bean reminding us of the bitter truth about Android - the lack of a proper upgrade path.
By releasing a new phone with the latest OS rather than upgrading its existing lineup, HTC has pretty much gone the same as other OEMs. Does that mean the One X, announced a couple of months back, is already outdated? When will Google fix this broken system? I think the manufacturers should stop releasing endless variants of the so-called 'flagship' phones in a single year. Launching multiple flagships is just a marketing gimmick to boost sales and Google should strictly ensure that the devices get at least two years of upgrade (like with iOS and Windows Phone 8).
In other news:
- Close to 4,000 Foxconn workers go on strike citing lack of training to meet production demands; Apple iPhone 5 production hit.
- Samsung rumored to announce Galaxy S III Mini on October 11.
- Android Jelly Bean for HTC One X and One S rolling out this month.
- Microsoft planning its own Windows Phone 8 based smartphone next year.
- Nokia mulling to sue HTC for copying its designs on HTC Windows Phone 8X.
- Sony pulls Xperia Tablet S from sale due to water resistance issues; offers free inspections and repair for customers.
- Apple iPad Mini (or iPad Air) reportedly enters mass production, according to the Wall Street Journal; rumored to be announced later this month.
- Nokia pulls Nokia Belle FP2 update for its Symbian phones following update problems.
- BlackBerry 10 Aristo leaked; runs on 1.5GHz quad-core processor, 2GB RAM and packs in a 4.65-inch screen.
- Gmail now allows searching inside attachments.
- YouTube and Facebook for mobile blocked in Jammu & Kashmir following the wake of the controversial anti-Islamic video.
- Google briefly overtakes Microsoft to become the world's second-most tech firm after Apple.
- Oracle and Nokia seal mapping deal; Oracle to use Nokia's technology to power its enterprise applications.
- Apple shuts down music social network Ping.
- Apple iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 prices drop to Rs. 41,500 (from the previous 44,500) and Rs. 28,300 (from Rs. 37,900) as part of the iPhone 5 release next month.
- Google's Motorola drops patent lawsuit claim against Apple; gives no reason for withdrawing the complaint.
- Nokia brings browser compression to Windows Phone Lumia devices with Xpress app.
- TomTom Navigation app for Android now available on Play Store.
- LinkedIn adds a follow feature; lets you follow 'thought leaders' like Barack Obama, Richard Branson and the likes.
- Microsoft set to unveil Windows Phone 8 on October 29.
- Apple pays tribute to Steve Jobs on his first death anniversary.
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