Cyberthieves enter a new frontier

As today’s society continues to turn more mobile, cyberthieves are not far behind. They realize that most of today’s population leans more towards mobile phone (smartphones) or mobile devices to communicate. Young men are becoming their target because on average, men between the ages of 18 and 31 spend 49 hours a week online. They are nicknamed the “millennium males”. 

They say, that the android operating system that google created, which runs on various different types of phones and tablets is vulnerable to cybertheft, and people should be careful of what they are using it for. A lot of the problems are coming from third party marketplaces posting apps, and once they are downloaded on someone’s device, they can start having problems because these aren’t monitored as carefully. Now that most consumers of mobile devices and smartphones are using them for things such as online shopping, email, online banking, etc, they should be aware of the risks and careful when posting personal information online. 

I thought that this was an interesting article because of the relevancy in today’s society. Everything is done over the internet, and a lot of people don’t understand that there are a lot of risks involved with that. I think it’s important for people to realize that things over the internet are not private - they must be coming from a trusted source. Cyberthief is becoming more and more popular, and can lead to other things such as identity theft.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/tech-news/cyberthieves-enter-a-new-frontier---mobile-devices/article2263982/

RIM has been going through so many problems lately, but they are keeping the biggest market share in Canada for smart phones. RIM has been watching the numbers a lot lately, and are noticing that android’s and apple phones are close behind, and that they cannot afford any more system glitches that affect all of their consumers at once. 40% of consumers own a smartphone, when looking at shares of each company (ie. android, apple, and RIM) each company has shown a lot of growth and are all working to make more sales.

I think that this gives RIM hope, they have 35.8 percent of smartphone users. I think that a lot of blackberry users have faith in what RIM can do, and it is possible for the company to turn things around for their consumers.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/canada-still-a-blackberry-nation/article2255856/

India Asks Facebook to Screen User Content

The government in India has asked social networking sites such as Facebook to prescreen all user content and remove “disparaging, inflammatory or defamatory content” before it gets posted.

There have been several posts on social media cites that are considered “unacceptable” to the indian government. These pages are posting things that are talking about the president  in a negative context. The president is wanting there to be a screening process to monitor what is being put into the public mind about him and his political party. He was expecting them to use humans to monitor the cites and no a form of technology screening. 

The three companies that the indian government have approached about the problem with content going up onto their websites, are prepared to tell the indian government that based on how much content is user generated in today’s society there is no real way to monitor everything that gets posted.

This is becoming a problem for many other governments. Content control is nearly impossible to keep under control with the use of social networking tools in today’s society.

http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/12/05/india-asks-google-facebook-others-to-screen-user-content/?ref=technology

Courts bar RIM form using BBX trademark

A software company in New York has had BBX as a trademark, and the US court system has filed a restraining order temporarily against RIM, which states that they are not able to use this any longer. This is tight timing for RIMm they are at a DevCon in Singapore today (dec. 7th) and tomorrow where they were planning to announce their new smartphone platform as BBX. Luckily, RIM has thought quickly, and today will be announcing their new line of blackberry’s as “Blackberry 10”. BBX is the new operating system that RIM was planning on launching with their new line of Blackberry’s, apparently Basis International has had this trademarked, and has threated to take legal action against RIM before if they do not stop using it. RIM refused, which is why Basis International has filed for the restraining order against them. 

Apple to lose iPad Trademark in China

Apple is currently facing a $1.6 billion lawsuit. Proview Technology Inc. (PTI), a Shenzhen company, is claiming that Apple is guilty of copyright infringement for PTI’s trademarked “iPad” name associated with a product of their own.
Apple rebutted with the argument that when they had purchased the right to the “iPad” name from PTI global last year that the trademark included China in this deal.
Apparently this is not the first case where Apple has been charged with trademark conflicts. In 2007, the iPhone ran into the same issues Comwave Telecom Inc., an internet telephone service company based in Toronto.
So, although this is nothing new, it has real potential to set Apple at a significant disadvantage as they try to “establish a foothold in the world’s largest marketplace”. It will be interesting to see how this will play out as Apple is such a globally recognized company and the iPad is their newest product.

http://business.financialpost.com/2011/12/06/apple-to-lose-ipad-trademark-in-china-report/

Twitter Working to Improve Security

Twitter has taken on a “start-up” software company, called Whisper Systems. They create software that will increase security and privacy for twitter when using with smart-phones and other mobile devices. Whisper Systems was created last year by two security experts, and is excited about creating software to protect microblogging via twitter. 

Twitter published a statement on monday saying “The Whisper Systems team is joining Twitter starting today. As part of our fast-growing engineering team, they will be bringing their technology and security expertise to Twitter’s products and services. We’re happy to have Moxie and Stuart onboard”. Twitter has rapidly grown in the last year, they have more then 100 million active users. Twitter has been adapted by several different group of people, it has become a vital communication tool for celebrities, businesses, and politicians - as well as student groups, and schools are starting to adapt to using twitter as a main method of communications. 

As much as any other online communication tool, the users are worried about their privacy and security online. Whisper Systems is there to ensure that mobile twitter users are able to trust the company, and are able to use the twitter apps, and twitter via web without much worry of someone hacking into their information.

I think that this was a good decision for twitter to bring on these two experts, but I think users should still be aware of the risk that everyone takes by posting things online. It will stay with you forever and you want to ensure that it is information that you want available to the world.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/mobile-technology/twitter-acquires-mobile-security-start-up-whisper-systems/article2252299/

RIM Disappointments

I just wanted to add to what Natasha had to say regarding the current problems that RIM is having with their sales/products.


As natasha touched on RIM thought that their launch of brand new blackberry’s last august would be able to keep them going through their fourth fiscal quarter (which covers christmas this year). They have had to make adjustments to how they think there numbers will be reflected in the coming months. Over the last year, RIM has had to adjust their numbers lower for the third time. RIM is Canada’s largest technology company, and this has affected their stock very negatively. 


They have had to get external analyst come in and figure out if there is anything that they could be doing better - each time that this has happened the analyst have questioned the role of the CEO’s and how they are directing the company. It is becoming a close call, to whether or not Blackberry/RIM is going to be able to recover from their recent troubles. Their shipment numbers have declined and continue to do so, based on their previous years numbers. 

I think that although RIM has been going through a hard time, and by the sounds of things won’t last for that much longer as a primary share of the mobile market, I don’t think that Blackberry’s will go away. They are too relevant to a lot of people’s everyday lives. When comparing blackberry to iphones, form a personal perspective, I think that they both have their advantages and disadvantages, but I believe that it is mostly based on what you use it for and the lifestyle that you need a smartphone for. Personally, I think Blackberry is a better fit for what I use my phone for. I have my fingers crossed that RIM will be able to recover.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/rim-finds-new-ways-to-disappoint-investors/article2257745/?from=sec431

Google to Compete with Amazon?

Google rules the online search world with services such as Google Finance, Google Earth, and Google Books. Its next plan of action is to take on the online shopping king, Amazon and compete in the world of internet retailing.

Google has been negotiating partnerships with some major retailers (speculations include Macy’s and GAP) to offer customers a new online shopping option where they would receive their orders within 24 hours. They hope to launch the service within the next year.

This is no new rivalry however. Google and Amazon have been competing for some time now, both offering customers e-readers and e-books.

There have been some concerns regarding Amazons strong customer following, however Google has “responded by beefing up its product-search service, adding user ratings and reviews, as well as showing shoppers whether some inventory is available for pickup in nearby stores. Last year, Google also launched special visual-recognition technology to help shoppers find apparel, or ‘soft goods’.”

This new shopping system has great potential, especially with its unique and appealing 24-hour delivery promise (other providers have tried this and failed, but Google is confident as it would be partnering with several companies, including United Parcel Service) and could prove to be a worthy candidate against the big names in online retailing.

Read more at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204012004577072323400561792.html?mod=WSJ_Tech_RightMostPopular

Wal-Mart launches social networking shopping app

On Wednesday the world's largest retailer launched a new social networking application called "Shopycat". Shopycat uses data on Facebook to estimate a users top ten friends, and then recommends gifts for these friends, based on the information shared on Facebook. Facebook is able to see the interests and hobbies of these friends by analyzing the information they share online. The program also allows for users to search for a topic and then Shopycat will display the friends who have a connection to this particular topic and the gifts that are recommended for them.

This application could not come at a better time with Christmas just around the corner, but it does also bring a concern about the information being shared over Facebook and getting monitored without the users consent. In our group presentation last week, we shared some cases where users information that was shared online was used against them and hampered with. It will be interesting to see how many consumers will choose to use this application and how accurate the gifts recommended will be for the individual. In some ways this application takes away the sentimental value of giving a gift to someone that was well thought-out, but who knows maybe this application will be a hit this Christmas!

View Article:  http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/technology/digital-culture/social-networking/wal-mart-launches-social-network-shopping-app/article2256347/

Self-Serve Advertising Now Available on Twitter

Twitter recently launched a self-serve option for its ad platform. It’s still in the beginning stages and only available to select buyers, but Twitter is in the process of expanding the platform in order to be able and cater to a wider range. This is just one more step towards Twitter becoming a big gun like its worthy competitor Facebook.
Twitters PR rep, Matt Graves, commented saying, “Last month, Twitter began testing self-service advertising with a handful of existing advertisers. These advertisers can now set up and run their own Promoted Products campaigns and pay via a credit card. This is an important step in continuing to grow Twitter’s business. Our Promoted Products can help small and medium-sized businesses build their audience on Twitter and better engage with the people they want to reach. As with all of our advertising efforts, we’re starting small, testing carefully and making improvements as we learn what works. We will slowly roll this capability out to more advertisers in the coming weeks and months.”
Although some people have been patiently waiting on this for quite some time, it’s actually a huge milestone for Twitter as it tries to reach the $8 billion mark.

http://allthingsd.com/20111201/twitter-quietly-finally-launches-self-serve-ads/

RIM continues to disappoint

RIM continues to disappoint investors. Although their new tablet sales have been rising, the sales of their new smartphones are decreasing. The new smartphones that they launched in August were expected to increase sales dramatically setting up for the new software development named BBX that is expected to unveil in the new year. However, to RIM's disappointment, sales decreased where they are shipping fewer cell phones globally. Although the attempt to develop a new sleek device to surpass competitor sales, it was not more compelling then Apple's new 4s iphone or the new Androids. This devastating loss can be illustrated by their American market share. Their smartphone market share has slumped to a mere 9% from 24% earlier this year. The support staff of RIM still remain hopeful that sales will turn around in the near future. They are working meticulously hard to ensure they see this happen. View the image that represents RIM stock price above.

It is crazy how RIM sales were skyrocketing in every continent. Now, due to small glitches here and there, they are witnessing such a profound plummet that many individuals are beginning to doubt their ability. It is crazy how large the networking world has transitioned its way into smartphones and now individuals are able to connect with friends, business partners, and peers around the world through their device. Social networking is so important today, but do you think social networking's success could plummet like RIM's?

Nokia Lumia Launch Party

Nokia and Deadamu5 Illuminate the Millbank Tower in London

Talk about 4-D technology! This past week on November 28th, Nokia held a launch party for their new Phone the Lumia 800, an "Easier, Faster, Funner," Phone that they recently launched in the U.K.

This product launch party blew any other ones I've seen right out of the water. Deadmau5, one of the world's leading DJ's played a live music set while the Millbank tower was turned into a 4-D platform with HD graphics. To create the projections, each of the buildings 800 windows were covered with vinyl,  while 16 projectors on the either side of the river beamed images on the the building.

It's one of those things you've got to check out yourself to believe!
Click this link to watch the performance launch party:  Deadmau5 and Nokia Lumia 800
Click this link to see the New Nokia Phone: Nokia Lumia 800

It's amazing the technology these days!

BBC Streaming Live to iPad

Canadian iPad users can now bring a little British charm into their very own homes. BBC just signed a deal with Apple for an app that allows users to watch limited streaming for no charge (or if they pay $8.99/month they can watch over 1,500 hours of on-demand videos).
There’s been some speculation as to whether or not this new app will be in competition with the Netflix app. However, the BBC executive vice president put the rumors to rest saying, “Netflix is a very different type of service, it is very broad. It offers tens of thousands of titles across several genres, whereas [iPlayer] is a branded service where we aggregate a very deep type of content; TV content as opposed to film. Netflix is a different experience, so I’m not really concerned as there isn’t a particularly large demographic overlap.”
In terms of future plans, the BBC would like to one day expand from just the iPlayer to the iPhone as well. Although sticking with iPlayer (and eventually iPhone) is a fairly small market, executives at BBC believe that this will not be the case for long. Over half the tablet users in Canada use iPad (projected to be about 1 million by the end of the year). A rep from BBC was quoted on this subject saying, “It is still early days in terms of the number of people who actually own a media tablet today,” she said, noting dropping prices as low as $200 is expanding Canada’s addressable tablet market. “That becomes increasingly relevant when someone like the BBC launches an app.”
Kind of exciting to see the new apps that are becoming available to smartphone and tablet users, no?


http://business.financialpost.com/2011/12/01/bbc-launches-iplayer-for-ipad-in-canada/

Facebook Targets Huge Initial Public Offering

Those who have been waiting in anticipation can sleep at night once again. Facebook is finally in the works of proposing an IPO this upcoming April (said to be one the largest ever). If successful this will set the value of the company to a whopping $100 billion.
However, some are already skeptical due to the recent trend in crashes of similar services. For example, professional networking site LinkedIn has seen a 36% decrease since in its IPO price since May. Facebook executives remain confident though as they will be entering the IPO with $4 billion in revenue, setting the bar quite high (usually companies opt for an IPO after they have made $1 million in revenue).

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203935604577066773790883672.html?mod=WSJ_Tech_RightMostPopular