SAN FRANCISCO - Google Inc. co-founder Larry Page is taking over as CEO in an unexpected shake-up that upstaged the Internet search leader's fourth-quarter earnings.
Page, 37, is reclaiming the top job from Eric Schmidt, who had been brought in as CEO a decade ago because Google's investors believed the company needed a more mature leader.
Schmidt, 55, will remain an adviser to Page and Google's other co-founder, Sergey Brin, as Google's executive chairman.
The changes will be effective April 4.
"In my clear opinion, Larry is ready to lead and I'm excited about working with both him and Sergey for a long time to come," Schmidt said.
Page praised Schmidt, too.
"There is no other CEO in the world that could have kept such headstrong founders so deeply involved and still run the business so brilliantly," Page said.
"Eric is a tremendous leader, and I have learned innumerable lessons from him."
The change in command overshadowed Google's fourth-quarter earnings, which soared past analysts' estimates as the company cranked up its Internet marketing machine during the holiday shopping season.
Google earned $2.5 billion, or $7.81 per share, during the final three months of 2010. That's a 29 percent increase from net income of $2 billion, or $6.13 per share, in the prior year.
Excluding stock-compensation expenses, Google says it earned $8.75 per share. That figure topped the average analyst estimate of $8.06 per share, according to FactSet.
Revenue climbed 26 percent from the prior year to $8.44 billion, from $6.67 billion.
After subtracting the commissions paid to Google's advertising partners, the company's revenue totaled $6.37 billion - about $300 million more than analysts anticipated.
Shares rose $5.64, or less than 1 percent, to $632.41 in extended trading after the announcement. In the regular session earlier, the stock fell $4.98, or 0.8 percent, to close at $626.77.
by Michael Liedtke Associated Press Jan. 21, 2011 12:00 AM
Google co-founder to be CEO in shake-up
Showing posts with label google. Show all posts
Showing posts with label google. Show all posts
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Google Unveils First Chrome OS Computer (PICTURES)
(AP/HUFFINGTON POST) SAN FRANCISCO — Google Inc. is postponing the market debut of the first computers running on its highly anticipated operating system by about six months to give its engineers more time to fine-tune the software.
Under a new timetable announced Tuesday, Google expects the first machines powered by the operating system to go on sale in the middle of next year. The company previously promised to have its Chrome operating system ready by the end of this year.
Google is recruiting consumers and a handful of businesses to test a "very limited" number of laptops using the operating system, which revolves around the company's 2-year-old Chrome Web browser. The unbranded computers, called Cr-48, will be shipped out to people chosen to participate in the pilot program by the end of January (Apply here).
The first Chrome OS laptops will be made by Acer Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. Google said the manufacturers will determine the prices of the first Chrome OS machines next year.
The Chrome OS computers will have a 12.1 inch display screen and standard-sized keyboard, but no hard drive. That means the Chrome OS computers will need online access to run more programs. Google is teaming up with Verizon Communications to sell Internet access over Verizon's wireless network when there is no other way to connect to the Web. The data plans will cost as little as $9.99 per month and won't require a long-term commitment.
Google also unveiled a new store for selling applications that run on the Web, the Chrome Web Store. That store opened Monday with about 500 applications, hitting the end-of-the-year deadline Google set when it announced the idea in May.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
WikiLeaks Archive - China’s Battle With Google - NYTimes.com
MARCH 10, 2010 | TAIYUAN, CHINA | Customers use computers at an Internet cafe. Cables document the Politburo’s near obsession with Chinese Internet users accessing politically delicate information.
China complained to American diplomats that Google Earth images showed classified government installations.
NOV. 12, 2010 | SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA | President Hu Jintao of China at a Group of 20 meeting. China’s leaders have been wary of Google, leaked cables say.
The May 18, 2009, cable, titled “Google China Paying Price for Resisting Censorship,” quoted a well-placed source as saying that Li Changchun, a member of China’s top ruling body, the Politburo Standing Committee, and the country’s senior propaganda official, was taken aback to discover that he could conduct Chinese-language searches on Google’s main international Web site. When Mr. Li typed his name into the search engine at google.com, he found “results critical of him.”
That cable from American diplomats was one of many made public by WikiLeaks that portray China’s leadership as nearly obsessed with the threat posed by the Internet to their grip on power — and, the reverse, by the opportunities it offered them, through hacking, to obtain secrets stored in computers of its rivals, especially the United States.
Extensive hacking operations suspected of originating in China, including one leveled at Google, are a central theme in the cables. The operations began earlier and were aimed at a wider array of American government and military data than generally known, including on the computers of United States diplomats involved in climate change talks with China.
One cable, dated early this year, quoted a Chinese person with family connections to the elite as saying that Mr. Li himself directed an attack on Google’s servers in the United States, though that claim has been called into question. In an interview with The New York Times, the person cited in the cable said that Mr. Li personally oversaw a campaign against Google’s operations in China but the person did not know who directed the hacking attack.
The cables catalog the heavy pressure that was placed on Google to comply with local censorship laws, as well as Google’s willingness to comply — up to a point. That coercion began building years before the company finally decided to pull its search engine out of China last spring in the wake of the successful hacking attack on its home servers, which yielded Chinese dissidents’ e-mail accounts as well as Google’s proprietary source code.
The demands on Google went well beyond removing material on subjects like the Dalai Lama or the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. Chinese officials also put pressure on the United States government to censor the Google Earth satellite imaging service by lowering the resolution of images of Chinese government facilities, warning that Washington could be held responsible if terrorists used that information to attack government or military facilities, the cables show. An American diplomat replied that Google was a private company and that he would report the request to Washington but that he had no sense about how the government would act.
Yet despite the hints of paranoia that appear in some cables, there are also clear signs that Chinese leaders do not consider the Internet an unstoppable force for openness and democracy, as some Americans believe.
In fact, this spring, around the time of the Google pullout, China’s State Council Information Office delivered a triumphant report to the leadership on its work to regulate traffic online, according to a crucial Chinese contact cited by the State Department in a cable in early 2010, when contacted directly by The Times.
The message delivered by the office, the person said, was that “in the past, a lot of officials worried that the Web could not be controlled.”
“But through the Google incident and other increased controls and surveillance, like real-name registration, they reached a conclusion: the Web is fundamentally controllable,” the person said.
That confidence may also reflect what the cables show are repeated and often successful hacking attacks from China on the United States government, private enterprises and Western allies that began by 2002, several years before such intrusions were widely reported in the United States.
At least one previously unreported attack in 2008, code-named Byzantine Candor by American investigators, yielded more than 50 megabytes of e-mails and a complete list of user names and passwords from an American government agency, a Nov. 3, 2008, cable revealed for the first time.
Precisely how these hacking attacks are coordinated is not clear. Many appear to rely on Chinese freelancers and an irregular army of “patriotic hackers” who operate with the support of civilian or military authorities, but not directly under their day-to-day control, the cables and interviews suggest.
But the cables also appear to contain some suppositions by Chinese and Americans passed along by diplomats. For example, the cable dated earlier this year referring to the hacking attack on Google said: “A well-placed contact claims that the Chinese government coordinated the recent intrusions of Google systems. According to our contact, the closely held operations were directed at the Politburo Standing Committee level.”
The cable goes on to quote this person as saying that the hacking of Google “had been coordinated out of the State Council Information Office with the oversight” of Mr. Li and another Politburo member, Zhou Yongkang.” Mr. Zhou is China’s top security official.
But the person cited in the cable gave a divergent account. He detailed a campaign to press Google coordinated by the Propaganda Department’s director, Liu Yunshan. Mr. Li and Mr. Zhou issued approvals in several instances, he said, but he had no direct knowledge linking them to the hacking attack aimed at securing commercial secrets or dissidents’ e-mail accounts — considered the purview of security officials.
Still, the cables provide a patchwork of detail about cyberattacks that American officials believe originated in China with either the assistance or knowledge of the Chinese military.
For example, in 2008 Chinese intruders based in Shanghai and linked to the People’s Liberation Army used a computer document labeled “salary increase — survey and forecast” as bait as part of the sophisticated intrusion scheme that yielded more than 50 megabytes of e-mails and a complete list of user names and passwords from a United States government agency that was not identified.
The cables indicate that the American government has been fighting a pitched battle with intruders who have been clearly identified as using Chinese-language keyboards and physically located in China. In most cases the intruders took great pains to conceal their identities, but occasionally they let their guard down. In one case described in the documents, investigators tracked one of the intruders who was surfing the Web in Taiwan “for personal use.”
In June 2009 during climate change talks between the United States and China, the secretary of state’s office sent a secret cable warning about e-mail “spear phishing” attacks directed at five State Department employees in the Division of Ocean Affairs of the Office of the Special Envoy for Climate Change.
The messages, which purport to come from a National Journal columnist, had the subject line “China and Climate Change.” The e-mail contained a PDF file that was intended to install a malicious software program known as Poison Ivy, which was meant to give an intruder complete control of the victim’s computer. That attack failed.
The cables also reveal that a surveillance system dubbed Ghostnet that stole information from the computers used by the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, and South Asian governments and was uncovered in 2009 was linked to a second broad series of break-ins into American government computers code-named Byzantine Hades. Government investigators were able to make a “tenuous connection” between those break-ins and the People’s Liberation Army.
The documents also reveal that in 2008 German intelligence briefed American officials on similar attacks beginning in 2006 against the German government, including military, economic, science and technology, commercial, diplomatic, and research and development targets. The Germans described the attacks as preceding events like the German government’s meetings with the Chinese government.
Even as such attacks were occurring, Google made a corporate decision in 2006, controversial even within the company, to establish a domestic Chinese version of its search engine, called google.cn. In doing so, it agreed to comply with China’s censorship laws.
But despite that concession, Chinese officials were never comfortable with Google, the cables and interviews show.
The Chinese claimed that Google Earth, the company’s satellite mapping software, offered detailed “images of China’s military, nuclear, space, energy and other sensitive government agency installations” that would be an asset to terrorists. A cable sent on Nov. 7, 2006, reported that Liu Jieyi, an assistant minister of foreign affairs, warned the American Embassy in Beijing that there would be “grave consequences” if terrorists exploited the imagery.
A year later, another cable pointed out that Google searches for politically delicate terms would sometimes be automatically redirected to Baidu, the Chinese company that was Google’s main competitor in China. Baidu is known for scrubbing its own search engine of results that might be unwelcome to government censors.
Google conducted numerous negotiations with officials in the State Council Information Office and other departments involved in censorship, propaganda and media licensing, the cables show. The May 18, 2009, cable that revealed pressure on the company by Mr. Li, the propaganda chief, said Google had taken some measures “to try and placate the government.” The cable also noted that Google had asked the American government to intervene with China on its behalf.
But Chinese officials became alarmed that Google still did less than its Chinese rivals to remove material Chinese officials considered offensive. Such material included information about Chinese dissidents and human rights issues, but also about central and provincial Chinese leaders and their children — considered an especially taboo topic, interviews with people quoted in the cables reveal.
Mr. Li, after apparently searching for information online on himself and his children, was reported to have stepped up pressure on Google. He also took steps to punish Google commercially, according to the May 18 cable.
The propaganda chief ordered three big state-owned Chinese telecommunications companies to stop doing business with Google. Mr. Li also demanded that Google executives remove any link between its sanitized Chinese Web site and its main international one, which he deemed “an illegal site,” the cable said.
Google ultimately stopped complying with repeated censorship requests. It stopped offering a censored version of its search engine in China earlier this year, citing both the hacking attacks and its unwillingness to continue obeying censorship orders.
By JAMES GLANZ and JOHN MARKOFF New York Times December 4, 2010
WikiLeaks Archive - China’s Battle With Google - NYTimes.com
Chinese Officials Behind Google Hacking - FoxNews.com
AP Google was the target of a cyber attack by China
This is not an isolated incident, according to the report.
China has made repeated and oftentimes successful cyber attacks on the U.S. government, private enterprises and Western allies as far back as 2002, The Times cited the cables as saying
One cable, sent earlier this year, said, "A well-placed contact claims that the Chinese government coordinated the recent intrusions of Google systems. According to our contact, the closely held operations were directed at the Politburo Standing Committee level," according to The Times.
The cable quoted the contact as saying Google's attack was “coordinated out of the State Council Information Office with the oversight" by Li Changchun and Zhou Yongkang, two members of the Communist Party's Politburo, according to The Times. It report said Zhou is China's top security official.
The contact cited in the cable, a “Chinese person with family connections to the elite,” denied knowing who orchestrated the hacking, according to The Times.
The person told The Times that it was one of Chanchun’s subordinates, and the two officials gave the plan the green light, but was unsure if the leaders directed the hacking.
The Times reported that it remains unclear how the cyber attacks were implemented, and did not explain the inconsistency between what the person said in the interview and what was attributed to the person in the cable. "The cables also appear to contain some suppositions by Chinese and Americans passed along by diplomats," The Times reported.
Earlier this year, China and Google locked horns over censorship, but the dispute was settled in July when Google slightly altered the way it directs users to search engines.
At least one unreported cyber attack conducted two years ago yielded more than 50 megabytes of usernames, emails and passwords from a U.S. government agency, according to The Times.
by Fox News December 4, 2010
Chinese Officials Behind Google Hacking - FoxNews.com
Google Fails in Quest for Fast-Growing Groupon - WSJ.com
Google Inc.'s multibillion-dollar bid to acquire local deals site Groupon Inc. ended Friday as the two sides broke off talks, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Negotiations between the two companies heated up over the past week but Groupon's board, many of whom are investors, was divided on whether to accept Google's offer.
The company continued to consider remaining independent and pursuing an IPO in the future, people familiar with the matter have said.
ChicagoBreakingBusiness.com reported earlier that the deal was off. A Groupon spokeswoman didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. A Google spokesman declined to comment.
AllThingsD previously reported that Google offered $5.3 billion for Groupon, with a further $700 million to be based on Groupon's ability to hit certain performance milestones.
News Corp. owns the AllThingsD website, as well as The Wall Street Journal.
Groupon, a closely held company based in Chicago, has grown rapidly by getting local businesses to spend money online to attract consumers, a market Google has sought to crack.
The online market for local business advertising is expected to grow rapidly and is coveted by other large Web companies including Facebook Inc. and Yahoo Inc.
Yahoo also pursued an acquisition of Groupon, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Though both Google and Groupon run online businesses, they had significant differences. Google's army of thousands of highly educated engineers, sales and marketing executives, developed advanced software and sophisticated algorithms for its search engine and advertising initiatives.
Groupon, led by its quirky co-founder Andrew Mason, hit upon a new business model by mobilizing a force of more than 1,500 sales and customer service employees to call and deal with restaurants, tanning salons, and helicopter tour guides.
Groupon, whose name is a combination of group and coupon, inspired numerous clones of its business model—selling discounted products and services from local merchants.
The model has caught on because it improved on the idea of local online advertising, where a business pays money up front for exposure that will hopefully translate into sales. With Groupon, merchants don't pay for marketing until they get a customer in the door.
A potential Google-Groupon deal was controversial among Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and executives, with some feeling that the Groupon model could be copied successfully by others and that the two companies' cultures might not mesh, among other things.
Some financial analysts favored the deal, even at $6 billion, because it would allow Google to get a slice of a fast-growing market, and that Google could market the coupon product to its more than one million advertisers.
Google, whose largest purchase to date was $3.1 billion for online ad provider DoubleClick in 2007, appeared willing to pay a lot more than that to gain a beachhead in the local business space. Such businesses currently spend about $20 billion annually online--including for ads on Google's search engine--but are expected to shell out more than $35 billion by 2014, according to BIA/Kelsey, a local-media advisory firm.
Other Web companies including Yelp.com have made forays into the market, attracting suitors such as Google. Last year Google was in talks to buy Yelp, which has become the first stop for some Internet users in their search for local businesses like restaurants, dentists, taxi cab companies, among others, people familiar with the matter have said. No deal was reached. Yelp generates revenue in part by letting those businesses advertise on the site.
Since then Google has developed its own business-review service similar to Yelp's and has increasingly directed its users to its "Place" pages that give information and reviews about local businesses rather than merely directing them to sites like Yelp or CitySearch.com.
Google, which for years has been amassing business listings, has said more than four million businesses have their own "Place" page on Google to which it directs users.
By AMIR EFRATI, GINA CHON and GEOFFREY A. FOWLER Wall Street Journal December 4, 2010
—Joann S. Lublin contributed to this story.
Google Fails in Quest for Fast-Growing Groupon - WSJ.com
Negotiations between the two companies heated up over the past week but Groupon's board, many of whom are investors, was divided on whether to accept Google's offer.
The company continued to consider remaining independent and pursuing an IPO in the future, people familiar with the matter have said.
ChicagoBreakingBusiness.com reported earlier that the deal was off. A Groupon spokeswoman didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. A Google spokesman declined to comment.
AllThingsD previously reported that Google offered $5.3 billion for Groupon, with a further $700 million to be based on Groupon's ability to hit certain performance milestones.
News Corp. owns the AllThingsD website, as well as The Wall Street Journal.
Groupon, a closely held company based in Chicago, has grown rapidly by getting local businesses to spend money online to attract consumers, a market Google has sought to crack.
The online market for local business advertising is expected to grow rapidly and is coveted by other large Web companies including Facebook Inc. and Yahoo Inc.
Yahoo also pursued an acquisition of Groupon, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Though both Google and Groupon run online businesses, they had significant differences. Google's army of thousands of highly educated engineers, sales and marketing executives, developed advanced software and sophisticated algorithms for its search engine and advertising initiatives.
Groupon, led by its quirky co-founder Andrew Mason, hit upon a new business model by mobilizing a force of more than 1,500 sales and customer service employees to call and deal with restaurants, tanning salons, and helicopter tour guides.
Groupon, whose name is a combination of group and coupon, inspired numerous clones of its business model—selling discounted products and services from local merchants.
The model has caught on because it improved on the idea of local online advertising, where a business pays money up front for exposure that will hopefully translate into sales. With Groupon, merchants don't pay for marketing until they get a customer in the door.
A potential Google-Groupon deal was controversial among Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and executives, with some feeling that the Groupon model could be copied successfully by others and that the two companies' cultures might not mesh, among other things.
Some financial analysts favored the deal, even at $6 billion, because it would allow Google to get a slice of a fast-growing market, and that Google could market the coupon product to its more than one million advertisers.
Google, whose largest purchase to date was $3.1 billion for online ad provider DoubleClick in 2007, appeared willing to pay a lot more than that to gain a beachhead in the local business space. Such businesses currently spend about $20 billion annually online--including for ads on Google's search engine--but are expected to shell out more than $35 billion by 2014, according to BIA/Kelsey, a local-media advisory firm.
Other Web companies including Yelp.com have made forays into the market, attracting suitors such as Google. Last year Google was in talks to buy Yelp, which has become the first stop for some Internet users in their search for local businesses like restaurants, dentists, taxi cab companies, among others, people familiar with the matter have said. No deal was reached. Yelp generates revenue in part by letting those businesses advertise on the site.
Since then Google has developed its own business-review service similar to Yelp's and has increasingly directed its users to its "Place" pages that give information and reviews about local businesses rather than merely directing them to sites like Yelp or CitySearch.com.
Google, which for years has been amassing business listings, has said more than four million businesses have their own "Place" page on Google to which it directs users.
By AMIR EFRATI, GINA CHON and GEOFFREY A. FOWLER Wall Street Journal December 4, 2010
—Joann S. Lublin contributed to this story.
Google Fails in Quest for Fast-Growing Groupon - WSJ.com
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Smartphone carriers fighting for Phoenix market
Park Ji-Hwana/AFP/Getty Images In the highly saturated, highly consolidated wireless industry, the top companies are aggressively restrategizing the way they lure customers.
More than 93 percent of American adults own a cellphone today.
Only 28 percent have smartphones.
There lies the business opportunity for cellphone-carrier giants such as Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc., companies that will wage an intense war for customers in the next several months in metro Phoenix and around the nation.
In the highly saturated, highly consolidated wireless industry, the top companies are aggressively restrategizing the way they lure customers. One-third of subscribers switch carriers every year, according to industry research. While carriers' biggest focus will be on the quality and variety of wireless devices they offer, cheaper service plans and faster networks also are part of the equation.
The type of phone, not the carrier, typically drives consumers' decisions for which contract they sign. Today, iPhones, Androids, and BlackBerrys are driving trend. These mini handheld computers called smartphones have made once-novel text and picture messages almost passe, and the growth of the devices has made waves in the industry.
Since 2007, AT&T's exclusive contract to sell Apple Inc.'s iPhone has helped it gain market share and remain the nation's second-largest carrier despite its reputation for a poor network.
News reports and blog posts, however, speculate that the iPhone soon will be available through Verizon Wireless, the nation's largest carrier, as early as January. It could be a boost for Verizon - and brings into question how lasting AT&T's recent rise in the market will be.
Meanwhile, Sprint Nextel Corp. and T-Mobile USA are fighting for an expanded share of the marketplace. Neither carrier sells the iPhone, but Google Inc.'s Android technology, common in the phones they offer, has been drawing customers in droves. Windows Phone 7, Microsoft's newest operating system, also will be available through all carriers and has received strong reviews in advance of its launch this month.
Getting ahead of the competition also means offering a better variety of subscription plans, especially those that are prepaid, at cheaper prices. Carriers won't bring in as much revenue per user, but they hope it keeps customers from switching to competitors.
Along with inexpensive plans, consumers are now demanding faster network speeds. Each of the major carriers is racing to be the first to deploy the largest and most reliable superfast 4G - or fourth-generation technology -network.
Although Arizona may not be known for its "early adopter" crowd like California, its technology-hub neighbor to the west, wireless competition in the next year could shape the market in the state for years to come.
Modern necessity
Consumers aren't willing to give up their mobile phones, even during a recession. The average U.S. wireless subscriber used about 824 minutes per month last year, compared with 160 minutes in Europe, according to international group CTIA-the Wireless Association.
One in every four U.S. households - 24.5 percent - used only wireless phones in the last half of 2009, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Of more than 630 wireless models in the U.S., according to CTIA, the growth trend is being driven by popular smartphones such as iPhones, BlackBerrys and, more recently, Android models.
In the third quarter, 28 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers owned smartphones, up 3 percent from the previous quarter, and 41 percent of those who bought a new mobile device were smartphones, according to The Nielsen Co.
Casey Thormahlen, an analyst with IBIS World, said that ever since the iPhone launched, carriers knew that consumers usually sign contracts based off which device they want, not carrier.
"AT&T has benefited the most because of its exclusivity with Apple," he said.
The iPhone saw explosive growth after its summer 2007 debut. It had 28 percent market share last quarter, according to Nielsen, which was 2 percentage points shy of dethroning Research in Motion Ltd. BlackBerry's long-standing lead. AT&T also reported a record 5.2 million iPhone activations out of a total 8 million for the same quarter.
But it's likely consumers won't see carriers with similar exclusive contracts in the future, Thormahlen said.
"Manufacturers can sell more devices if they're sold through everyone," he said.
Newcomer Android, Google's operating system that debuted in late 2008 with the T-Mobile G1 by HTC, is a prime example. Made by nearly all major manufacturers and sold by most carriers, Android eclipsed both the iPhone and BlackBerry, who nearly tied for second place, in unit sales to new users in the third quarter, Nielsen said.
But with speculation that a Verizon iPhone will happen early next year, which neither Verizon or Apple have confirmed, Credit Suisse predicted last month that Verizon could gain about 4 million new subscribers next year and that roughly 1.4 million AT&T customers would make the switch.
It wouldn't necessarily be a hit to other platforms, said Roger Entner, a Nielsen analyst.
"It's choice and variety," Entner said. "Apple is a very admired brand, but not everyone wants to have an iPhone."
Entner said Android would keep up, especially because consumers have their pick among different models, carriers and prices. In contrast, there's only one model iPhone on one carrier today.
Windows Phone 7, an upgrade from the Windows Mobile operating system, also should not be underestimated, said Chris Percy, vice president of AT&T's Southwest region headquarters based in Phoenix.
People should take the disappointing Windows Mobile and "erase it from your memory banks," Percy said. "I think they're going to hit a home run with this one."
Consumers will also see big improvements in phones compatible with super-fast 4G networks as carriers roll them out, said Chris Nicoll, analyst at Yankee Group.
Users will experience speeds that allow faster downloads and uploads, high-definition video streaming, video-conference calling and devices acting as WiFi hotspots for multiple devices at one time.
"They'll be entertainment powerhouses in your hand," Nicoll said. "With 3G, all the pieces weren't in place for the multimedia experience it promised."
Thormahlen said carriers would also expand the types of wireless devices offered, such as tablet computers - Apple's iPad went on sale through Verizon last month - and e-book readers such as the Amazon Kindle and the Barnes & Noble Nook.
Carrier competition
Mergers and acquisitions used to be a key way for carriers to gain subscribers. Verizon became the largest carrier when it merged with Alltel last year. AT&T grew to the size it is today after acquiring Cingular Wireless in 2005.
Now, most of the dealmaking is done. Smaller carriers are scarce, and because nearly everyone has a cellphone, the battle for subscribers is getting more ferocious.
Nearly one-third of wireless subscribers switch providers each year, according to IBIS, meaning carriers will continue to drop prices of monthly bills and handsets, offer more variety of package deals and especially push prepaid plans.
With more than 93.2 million subscribers, Verizon Wireless is the nation's largest carrier. In Arizona, the company has invested nearly $1 billion - $60 billion nationally - in its network in the past decade, according to Verizon spokeswoman Jenny Weaver.
With about 2,700 employees, a Southwest region headquarters and customer-service center in Chandler, Verizon, based in Basking Ridge, N.J., ranked 50 in this year's Arizona Republic 100, which is a list of the state's largest employers.
Dallas-based AT&T, however, has invested $375 million in its network between 2007 and 2009 in the state. It ranked 99 in this year's Arizona Republic 100, with 950 employees statewide.
"We've seen tremendous growth in the last three years," Percy said. "In my opinion, we get a really bad rap about our network, but we're proud of what we've done."
AT&T has been making serious gains on Verizon. In the third quarter, it added 2.6 million subscribers, bringing its total to 92.8 million and $31.6 billion in revenue, a nearly 3 percent increase from last year.
Verizon added less than 1 million subscribers with revenue at $26.5 billion.
Overland Park, Kan.-based Sprint, the third-largest carrier with 48.8 million subscribers, and Bellevue, Wash.-based T-Mobile, fourth largest with 33.8 million customers, have smaller networks and a less tech-savvy customer base, making it hard to get ahead, Thormahlen said.
"Only one or two carriers can really dominate in this industry," he said.
Together, these top four carriers will make up 90 percent of industry revenue this year, an IBIS annual report said.
The CTIA said that the average monthly wireless bill in the U.S., including voice and data, was about $48 in June. The number of prepaid users has grown more than 5 percent since 2007 and accounted for $13.9 billion of more than $155 billion total for the industry in 2009, CTIA said.
The 4G effect
Besides the handsets and the carriers' deals, network quality matters to potential customers.
Phoenix will be one of the first markets to get Verizon's 4G network this year, and the upgrade is expected to be fully deployed by the end of 2013. AT&T, in turn, promises improved network speeds nationwide by year's end, followed by a 4G rollout starting in mid-2011.
Sprint's was the country's first 4G network. Its rollout is still under way, although T-Mobile beat it to the Phoenix market last month with a network upgrade offering comparable 4G speeds.
If the term "4G" sounds confusing, that's because it is.
Simply put, it means faster service for more complex smartphone activities. Current 4G speeds seen so far range roughly between 5 and 21 megabits per second, Nicoll said. He said 4G was largely a marketing term right now.
"It's an upgraded speed from 3G standards and it requires a new network, so they're just calling it 4G," Nicoll said.
Advertisements have been tossing around terms such as LTE, WiMax and HSPA+, with little explanation, Nicoll said. Simply put, they're terms for different 4G technologies. Carriers also use different technologies for 3G - Verizon and Sprint currently use CDMA, while AT&T and T-Mobile run on GSM.
Sprint's WiMax network, through its Clearwire subsidiary, was the first 4G network in the country. Its rollout, which started in late 2008, has been slower than expected, and its Phoenix arrival date is anyone's guess.
"Consumers will see a quicker rollout of the Verizon network and also AT&T," Nicoll said.
In Las Vegas, regional carrier MetroPCS Communications Inc. this year launched the first LTE network, which is projected to become the dominant technology worldwide.
AT&T is expected to launch its LTE network in mid-2011 but in the meantime will boost 3G speeds through a nationwide software upgrade to HSPA+ technology.
Because its speeds are comparable to those of WiMax and LTE, T-Mobile recently started calling its HSPA+ network "4G" instead of "4G-like," Nicoll said.
LTE and WiMax will mature over time, Thormahlen said, eventually far surpassing HSPA+ speeds.
Sprint adds a $10 monthly surcharge for those who own 4G devices - such as the HTC Evo, the nation's first 4G phone - regardless if users have access to the new network. Verizon has not yet announced prices for its LTE network.
Analysts say prices will drop as it becomes the mainstay technology and is adopted by all carriers by the end of 2012, essentially replacing 3G.
How successful each carrier's rollout will be in attracting customers remains a toss-up, Entner said.
"How will it all change the ballgame?" he asked. "That's the big question."
by Kristena Hansen The Arizona Republic Nov. 7, 2010 12:00 AM
Smartphone carriers fighting for Phoenix market
Only 28 percent have smartphones.
There lies the business opportunity for cellphone-carrier giants such as Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc., companies that will wage an intense war for customers in the next several months in metro Phoenix and around the nation.
In the highly saturated, highly consolidated wireless industry, the top companies are aggressively restrategizing the way they lure customers. One-third of subscribers switch carriers every year, according to industry research. While carriers' biggest focus will be on the quality and variety of wireless devices they offer, cheaper service plans and faster networks also are part of the equation.
The type of phone, not the carrier, typically drives consumers' decisions for which contract they sign. Today, iPhones, Androids, and BlackBerrys are driving trend. These mini handheld computers called smartphones have made once-novel text and picture messages almost passe, and the growth of the devices has made waves in the industry.
Since 2007, AT&T's exclusive contract to sell Apple Inc.'s iPhone has helped it gain market share and remain the nation's second-largest carrier despite its reputation for a poor network.
News reports and blog posts, however, speculate that the iPhone soon will be available through Verizon Wireless, the nation's largest carrier, as early as January. It could be a boost for Verizon - and brings into question how lasting AT&T's recent rise in the market will be.
Meanwhile, Sprint Nextel Corp. and T-Mobile USA are fighting for an expanded share of the marketplace. Neither carrier sells the iPhone, but Google Inc.'s Android technology, common in the phones they offer, has been drawing customers in droves. Windows Phone 7, Microsoft's newest operating system, also will be available through all carriers and has received strong reviews in advance of its launch this month.
Getting ahead of the competition also means offering a better variety of subscription plans, especially those that are prepaid, at cheaper prices. Carriers won't bring in as much revenue per user, but they hope it keeps customers from switching to competitors.
Along with inexpensive plans, consumers are now demanding faster network speeds. Each of the major carriers is racing to be the first to deploy the largest and most reliable superfast 4G - or fourth-generation technology -network.
Although Arizona may not be known for its "early adopter" crowd like California, its technology-hub neighbor to the west, wireless competition in the next year could shape the market in the state for years to come.
Modern necessity
Consumers aren't willing to give up their mobile phones, even during a recession. The average U.S. wireless subscriber used about 824 minutes per month last year, compared with 160 minutes in Europe, according to international group CTIA-the Wireless Association.
One in every four U.S. households - 24.5 percent - used only wireless phones in the last half of 2009, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Of more than 630 wireless models in the U.S., according to CTIA, the growth trend is being driven by popular smartphones such as iPhones, BlackBerrys and, more recently, Android models.
In the third quarter, 28 percent of U.S. mobile subscribers owned smartphones, up 3 percent from the previous quarter, and 41 percent of those who bought a new mobile device were smartphones, according to The Nielsen Co.
Casey Thormahlen, an analyst with IBIS World, said that ever since the iPhone launched, carriers knew that consumers usually sign contracts based off which device they want, not carrier.
"AT&T has benefited the most because of its exclusivity with Apple," he said.
The iPhone saw explosive growth after its summer 2007 debut. It had 28 percent market share last quarter, according to Nielsen, which was 2 percentage points shy of dethroning Research in Motion Ltd. BlackBerry's long-standing lead. AT&T also reported a record 5.2 million iPhone activations out of a total 8 million for the same quarter.
But it's likely consumers won't see carriers with similar exclusive contracts in the future, Thormahlen said.
"Manufacturers can sell more devices if they're sold through everyone," he said.
Newcomer Android, Google's operating system that debuted in late 2008 with the T-Mobile G1 by HTC, is a prime example. Made by nearly all major manufacturers and sold by most carriers, Android eclipsed both the iPhone and BlackBerry, who nearly tied for second place, in unit sales to new users in the third quarter, Nielsen said.
But with speculation that a Verizon iPhone will happen early next year, which neither Verizon or Apple have confirmed, Credit Suisse predicted last month that Verizon could gain about 4 million new subscribers next year and that roughly 1.4 million AT&T customers would make the switch.
It wouldn't necessarily be a hit to other platforms, said Roger Entner, a Nielsen analyst.
"It's choice and variety," Entner said. "Apple is a very admired brand, but not everyone wants to have an iPhone."
Entner said Android would keep up, especially because consumers have their pick among different models, carriers and prices. In contrast, there's only one model iPhone on one carrier today.
Windows Phone 7, an upgrade from the Windows Mobile operating system, also should not be underestimated, said Chris Percy, vice president of AT&T's Southwest region headquarters based in Phoenix.
People should take the disappointing Windows Mobile and "erase it from your memory banks," Percy said. "I think they're going to hit a home run with this one."
Consumers will also see big improvements in phones compatible with super-fast 4G networks as carriers roll them out, said Chris Nicoll, analyst at Yankee Group.
Users will experience speeds that allow faster downloads and uploads, high-definition video streaming, video-conference calling and devices acting as WiFi hotspots for multiple devices at one time.
"They'll be entertainment powerhouses in your hand," Nicoll said. "With 3G, all the pieces weren't in place for the multimedia experience it promised."
Thormahlen said carriers would also expand the types of wireless devices offered, such as tablet computers - Apple's iPad went on sale through Verizon last month - and e-book readers such as the Amazon Kindle and the Barnes & Noble Nook.
Carrier competition
Mergers and acquisitions used to be a key way for carriers to gain subscribers. Verizon became the largest carrier when it merged with Alltel last year. AT&T grew to the size it is today after acquiring Cingular Wireless in 2005.
Now, most of the dealmaking is done. Smaller carriers are scarce, and because nearly everyone has a cellphone, the battle for subscribers is getting more ferocious.
Nearly one-third of wireless subscribers switch providers each year, according to IBIS, meaning carriers will continue to drop prices of monthly bills and handsets, offer more variety of package deals and especially push prepaid plans.
With more than 93.2 million subscribers, Verizon Wireless is the nation's largest carrier. In Arizona, the company has invested nearly $1 billion - $60 billion nationally - in its network in the past decade, according to Verizon spokeswoman Jenny Weaver.
With about 2,700 employees, a Southwest region headquarters and customer-service center in Chandler, Verizon, based in Basking Ridge, N.J., ranked 50 in this year's Arizona Republic 100, which is a list of the state's largest employers.
Dallas-based AT&T, however, has invested $375 million in its network between 2007 and 2009 in the state. It ranked 99 in this year's Arizona Republic 100, with 950 employees statewide.
"We've seen tremendous growth in the last three years," Percy said. "In my opinion, we get a really bad rap about our network, but we're proud of what we've done."
AT&T has been making serious gains on Verizon. In the third quarter, it added 2.6 million subscribers, bringing its total to 92.8 million and $31.6 billion in revenue, a nearly 3 percent increase from last year.
Verizon added less than 1 million subscribers with revenue at $26.5 billion.
Overland Park, Kan.-based Sprint, the third-largest carrier with 48.8 million subscribers, and Bellevue, Wash.-based T-Mobile, fourth largest with 33.8 million customers, have smaller networks and a less tech-savvy customer base, making it hard to get ahead, Thormahlen said.
"Only one or two carriers can really dominate in this industry," he said.
Together, these top four carriers will make up 90 percent of industry revenue this year, an IBIS annual report said.
The CTIA said that the average monthly wireless bill in the U.S., including voice and data, was about $48 in June. The number of prepaid users has grown more than 5 percent since 2007 and accounted for $13.9 billion of more than $155 billion total for the industry in 2009, CTIA said.
The 4G effect
Besides the handsets and the carriers' deals, network quality matters to potential customers.
Phoenix will be one of the first markets to get Verizon's 4G network this year, and the upgrade is expected to be fully deployed by the end of 2013. AT&T, in turn, promises improved network speeds nationwide by year's end, followed by a 4G rollout starting in mid-2011.
Sprint's was the country's first 4G network. Its rollout is still under way, although T-Mobile beat it to the Phoenix market last month with a network upgrade offering comparable 4G speeds.
If the term "4G" sounds confusing, that's because it is.
Simply put, it means faster service for more complex smartphone activities. Current 4G speeds seen so far range roughly between 5 and 21 megabits per second, Nicoll said. He said 4G was largely a marketing term right now.
"It's an upgraded speed from 3G standards and it requires a new network, so they're just calling it 4G," Nicoll said.
Advertisements have been tossing around terms such as LTE, WiMax and HSPA+, with little explanation, Nicoll said. Simply put, they're terms for different 4G technologies. Carriers also use different technologies for 3G - Verizon and Sprint currently use CDMA, while AT&T and T-Mobile run on GSM.
Sprint's WiMax network, through its Clearwire subsidiary, was the first 4G network in the country. Its rollout, which started in late 2008, has been slower than expected, and its Phoenix arrival date is anyone's guess.
"Consumers will see a quicker rollout of the Verizon network and also AT&T," Nicoll said.
In Las Vegas, regional carrier MetroPCS Communications Inc. this year launched the first LTE network, which is projected to become the dominant technology worldwide.
AT&T is expected to launch its LTE network in mid-2011 but in the meantime will boost 3G speeds through a nationwide software upgrade to HSPA+ technology.
Because its speeds are comparable to those of WiMax and LTE, T-Mobile recently started calling its HSPA+ network "4G" instead of "4G-like," Nicoll said.
LTE and WiMax will mature over time, Thormahlen said, eventually far surpassing HSPA+ speeds.
Sprint adds a $10 monthly surcharge for those who own 4G devices - such as the HTC Evo, the nation's first 4G phone - regardless if users have access to the new network. Verizon has not yet announced prices for its LTE network.
Analysts say prices will drop as it becomes the mainstay technology and is adopted by all carriers by the end of 2012, essentially replacing 3G.
How successful each carrier's rollout will be in attracting customers remains a toss-up, Entner said.
"How will it all change the ballgame?" he asked. "That's the big question."
by Kristena Hansen The Arizona Republic Nov. 7, 2010 12:00 AM
Smartphone carriers fighting for Phoenix market
Sunday, September 12, 2010
'Instant' search result introduced by Google
Search giant Google on Wednesday introduced instant search results that promise to save users time.
Google Instant searches "as you type, not after you type," Marisa Mayer, Google's vice president of user experience, said at a press event at San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art.
The new tools are being rolled out Wednesday to Google users in the United States and will spread internationally through the week.
Google's new search feature tries to figure out what a user is searching for as each letter enters the query box. For example, typing the letter "w" causes Google to speculate a user is looking for the weather. It instantly displays a local forecast.
Similarly, typing "the girl" will display instant results to the popular book "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo." There's no need to type the entire title and press enter.
Mayer said the average Google query takes 15 seconds to enter and 300 milliseconds to process. Google Instant is designed to cut down on that time.
"We estimate this will help users save two to five seconds per query . . . or 11 hours for every passing second," she said.
The new feature "makes search more interactive. Power users will really appreciate it," said Greg Sterling, an analyst with researcher Sterling Market Intelligence.
Google is developing a version of instant search for mobile devices.
by Jefferson Graham USA Today Sept. 9, 2010 12:00 AM
'Instant' search result introduced by Google
Google Instant searches "as you type, not after you type," Marisa Mayer, Google's vice president of user experience, said at a press event at San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art.
The new tools are being rolled out Wednesday to Google users in the United States and will spread internationally through the week.
Google's new search feature tries to figure out what a user is searching for as each letter enters the query box. For example, typing the letter "w" causes Google to speculate a user is looking for the weather. It instantly displays a local forecast.
Similarly, typing "the girl" will display instant results to the popular book "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo." There's no need to type the entire title and press enter.
Mayer said the average Google query takes 15 seconds to enter and 300 milliseconds to process. Google Instant is designed to cut down on that time.
"We estimate this will help users save two to five seconds per query . . . or 11 hours for every passing second," she said.
The new feature "makes search more interactive. Power users will really appreciate it," said Greg Sterling, an analyst with researcher Sterling Market Intelligence.
Google is developing a version of instant search for mobile devices.
by Jefferson Graham USA Today Sept. 9, 2010 12:00 AM
'Instant' search result introduced by Google
Monday, September 6, 2010
Google’s Music Service to Launch by Christmas [REPORT]
Apple may get a nasty surprise this holiday season; rumors are swirling that Google’s Andy Rubin is planning on a holiday-season launch for the search behemoth’s new music download service.
According to a Reuters report, Rubin, the Google VP Engineering who oversees Android development, has been deep in talks with record labels and “hopes to have the service up and running by Christmas.”
Google’s service would be an iTunes challenger that would be deeply connected to the Android mobile operating system. As we reported over the summer, it seems the company plans to first launch a music download service and progress to an online subscription service by next year. Ultimately, “Google Music” would be a cloud-based subscription service with the ability to stream directly to Android mobile devices.
An anonymous record label exec confirmed to the newswire that Google was, indeed, in talks with labels about launching such a service and that labels aren’t at all upset about the prospect.
“Finally here’s an entity with the reach, resources and wherewithal to take on iTunes as a formidable competitor by tying it into search and Android mobile platform. What you’ll have is a very powerful player in the market that’s good for the music business,” the source said.
Right now, the ever-more-popular swarm of Android phones have an integration with Amazon’s MP3 store, but it’s not the best-integrated solution. If Google can perfect a music downloading system and include some of the mobile-desktop syncing features we saw at Google I/O, they just might have a killer app on their hands — one that would continue to allow Android to successfully challenge Apple’s iPhone in the mobile market, too.
Google began its work in the music space last year with the launch of a music search feature. When users searched Google for any kind of music, among search results would be streaming audio previews and music discovery features from music-centric companies including Pandora and Rhapsody.
With the recent launch of iTunes 10 and built-in music social network Ping, Apple is aiming for a major revitalization of its music offering. But so far, users’ reactions to the new software has been lukewarm at best.
Do you think Google could emerge in just a couple months with a winning approach to music downloading? How do you think this move might — or might not — affect Apple’s bottom line? Let us know your opinions in the comments.
by Jolie O'Dell Mashable September 6, 2010
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Patently Bold: Paul Allen's Internet Lawsuit (AAPL, EBAY, GOOG, MSFT, NFLX, ODP, YHOO)
Another day, and yet another audacious-sounding lawsuit in the tech world. This time it's Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) co-founder Paul Allen's company, Interval Licensing, LLC, suing a host of big-name companies: Google(Nasdaq: GOOG), Facebook, eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY), Apple (Nasdaq:AAPL), Yahoo! (Nasdaq: YHOO), AOL, Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX), Office Depot (NYSE: ODP), OfficeMax, Staples, and YouTube.
The lawsuit claims patent infringement over some basic, ubiquitous, and vital Web functions like reading news in a Web browser and information alerts. In the video below, Fool analyst Rex Moore and Fool Chief Legal Officer Lawrence Greenberg discuss Allen's possible motives, including monetary rewards and credit for inventing these things. The defendants may claim the patents are not valid because the inventions do not meet the patent law's requirement that they be "non-obvious," because people who understood the Internet at the time of their invention would have anticipated them.
The lawsuits may take a long time to work their way through the system if they're litigated and not settled quickly. Most of these companies have very deep pockets and the ability to absorb the costs involved. Though it seems unlikely these companies would be seriously hurt by the final outcome in a meaningful way, it's unlikely that they are happy to have been sued.
Watch the video here:
by Fool TV September 4, 2010
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Five Ways Gmail Chat Looks Better than Skype - PCWorld Business Center
Your Gmail account sends e-mail, allows video and online chat, and now can call your contacts in the United States and Canada for free.
Google announced on its corporate blog today that its U.S. users will enjoy free calls, with slightly higher rates to other countries, by using the voice and video service embedded in Gmail Chat. The service is expected to bite into Skype's VoIP service, with Google posting rates that it says beat a "leading Internet telephony client."
Here are some reasons why Gmail Chat may be a better choice, at least for now.
1. Rates
International rates for Gmail calls range wildly, from $6.90 a minute to call Inmarsat, a British mobile satellite company, to 2 cents a minute to call Poland or Brazil. Other rates compare fairly closely, with Gmail voice calling rates 2 cents a minute to France versus 2.4 cents a minute for Skype (2.1 cents plus connection fee), but Google is offering free, unlimited phone calls to the United States and Canada.
That could best Skype’s rate by $60 for the rest of the year, since Skype charges $12 each quarter for a phone number and $2.99 each month for unlimited calls to North America on its pay-as-you-go program.
2. Google Voice
This service, offered free by Google, consolidates all your phone numbers into a single number, and is being incorporated into the new Gmail system. Users already with Google Voice numbers will have that number displayed on caller ID and can receive calls to this number. Skype has to use a different number than your phone number (unless, for instance, you use Google Voice). In many ways, Google is cutting out the middle man in this relationship by offering to skip over Skype entirely.
3. Videoconferencing and Other Business Apps
While Skype offers free video chat, it also plans on packaging videoconferencing for business as a way to raise revenue for shareholders. Gmail also offers free video chat. While it hasn't been added yet, a spokesman said Google plans also to add voice chat to Google Apps, which is specifically aimed at companies.
Google has also expanded its Gmail contacts page to include more data like addresses and phone numbers. Along with the additions, Google has taken security seriously by alerting users of suspicious activity on their Gmail account.
4. The Google Cachet
Granted, Skype has 560 million registered users and 8 million paying users. Google's various sites have about 179 million unique users each month, according to ComScore. Google regularly expands its services' interfaces to meet users' needs.Skype, which just made its IPO, is still working on its untested business model. In five years I'm confident that Gmail will still be around, but I'm not so sure about Skype.
5. It's Free to Try
Gmail's free rate in the United States and Canada lasts at least until the end of the year, and Google said it plans to roll out the new system in the next few days. As soon as users see "Call Phones" showing up in their Gmail chat list, they're ready to go.
There are a few concerns about Gmail's phone call system, the biggest being when the free rate will end. So far Google hasn't give any answers, except to say it will be free until the end of the year. Unless the voice calls continue to be cheaper than Skype in January, Google doesn't have a prayer.
However, for now, business owners who have never used Skype will lose nothing if they try the new Google service. Perhaps they may even find that the international call costs are cheaper than their current calling plan, Skype included.
By Barbara E. Hernandez, PC World August 25, 2010
Five Ways Gmail Chat Looks Better than Skype - PCWorld Business Center
Google announced on its corporate blog today that its U.S. users will enjoy free calls, with slightly higher rates to other countries, by using the voice and video service embedded in Gmail Chat. The service is expected to bite into Skype's VoIP service, with Google posting rates that it says beat a "leading Internet telephony client."
Here are some reasons why Gmail Chat may be a better choice, at least for now.
1. Rates
International rates for Gmail calls range wildly, from $6.90 a minute to call Inmarsat, a British mobile satellite company, to 2 cents a minute to call Poland or Brazil. Other rates compare fairly closely, with Gmail voice calling rates 2 cents a minute to France versus 2.4 cents a minute for Skype (2.1 cents plus connection fee), but Google is offering free, unlimited phone calls to the United States and Canada.
That could best Skype’s rate by $60 for the rest of the year, since Skype charges $12 each quarter for a phone number and $2.99 each month for unlimited calls to North America on its pay-as-you-go program.
2. Google Voice
This service, offered free by Google, consolidates all your phone numbers into a single number, and is being incorporated into the new Gmail system. Users already with Google Voice numbers will have that number displayed on caller ID and can receive calls to this number. Skype has to use a different number than your phone number (unless, for instance, you use Google Voice). In many ways, Google is cutting out the middle man in this relationship by offering to skip over Skype entirely.
3. Videoconferencing and Other Business Apps
While Skype offers free video chat, it also plans on packaging videoconferencing for business as a way to raise revenue for shareholders. Gmail also offers free video chat. While it hasn't been added yet, a spokesman said Google plans also to add voice chat to Google Apps, which is specifically aimed at companies.
Google has also expanded its Gmail contacts page to include more data like addresses and phone numbers. Along with the additions, Google has taken security seriously by alerting users of suspicious activity on their Gmail account.
4. The Google Cachet
Granted, Skype has 560 million registered users and 8 million paying users. Google's various sites have about 179 million unique users each month, according to ComScore. Google regularly expands its services' interfaces to meet users' needs.Skype, which just made its IPO, is still working on its untested business model. In five years I'm confident that Gmail will still be around, but I'm not so sure about Skype.
5. It's Free to Try
Gmail's free rate in the United States and Canada lasts at least until the end of the year, and Google said it plans to roll out the new system in the next few days. As soon as users see "Call Phones" showing up in their Gmail chat list, they're ready to go.
There are a few concerns about Gmail's phone call system, the biggest being when the free rate will end. So far Google hasn't give any answers, except to say it will be free until the end of the year. Unless the voice calls continue to be cheaper than Skype in January, Google doesn't have a prayer.
However, for now, business owners who have never used Skype will lose nothing if they try the new Google service. Perhaps they may even find that the international call costs are cheaper than their current calling plan, Skype included.
By Barbara E. Hernandez, PC World August 25, 2010
Five Ways Gmail Chat Looks Better than Skype - PCWorld Business Center
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
How People Are Signing In Across the Web [STATS]
Identity management provider Janrain has just released its latest usage study detailing what social networks and services people use to sign in and share activities across the web.
As in its last report back in April, Google and Facebookcontinue to dominate websites that offer third-party login options. Across the 250,000 sites that use Janrain Engage,Google
Facebook
Google is the dominant catch-all login in the aggregate, but other services, particularly Facebook, really take the lead when websites are segmented by type.
For example, for news media sites, Yahoo represents approximately 34% of all logins. For magazine publishers, Facebook is the clear choice amongst website visitors. Fifty-seven percent of logins are from Facebook, nearly triple its nearest competitor, Google, at 20%.
Likewise, with music sites, Facebook leads with 55% of logins and second place Twitter is at 18%. Retailbrand logins are also largely dominated by Facebook.
It makes sense that Facebook has such a strong presence in magazines, retail brands and in music. This can likely be tied with the brand and publishers’ usage of Facebook pages.
Facebook and Twitter Dominate Sharing
More and more publishers are integrating sharing options like Facebook Like buttons or the new Twitter Tweet buttons into their sites. Many publishers are seeing increases in traffic as a direct result of these sharing tools.
According to Janrain’s data, Facebook is the preferred sharing network for 53% of users. Twitter is close behind with 37%. Keep in mind, Janrain’s platform allows users to cross-share to multiple networks at once, which indicates that there may be some overlap.
Still, this is an important distinction from the single sign-in data. To us, this represents that while Google may be used as a frequent sign-in option — perhaps because of how closely the service is tied to an e-mail address — when it comes to engaging and identifying with information online, Facebook and Twitter are where users value their time.
by Christina Warren Mashable August 16, 2010
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