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February 2011

Vodafone Webbox – Turning your TV in to a Web Browser

By Cheryl | Posted in Internet, News, Twitter at 12 | February 28, 2011 – 12:54 pm

vodafone webboxVodafone recently announced that they would be releasing the Vodafone Webbox, which allows your television to become your web browser.

The device, which is actually a keyboard, plugs into your TV and allows internet access instantly. The keyboard comes equipt with a RCA connector,which can be found on most television sets, and with a Vodafone SIM card inside. The device runs the Opera Mini 5.1 browser and has a GPRS/Edge modem, with the 3G version hopefully not too far behind.

The company hopes it will allow people in developing countries to access the internet without fixed-line Broadband. The fact that you don’t need a PC and can use your existing television to access the internet means that Vodafone could be on to a real winner, especially in the emerging markets.

The Webbox will hit the South African market first under Vodacom, the African mobile telecommunications company owned by Vodafone, with others following suit throughout the year.

Will it work?

First of all, its a stylish keyboard and won’t stand out in any living room. The downside? Speed. This is not the product for users who are constantly browsing and streaming media as it will struggle to keep up; although it’s perfect for simple browsing and checking email.

Successful?

With countries such as Africa were there are many homes without internet access, this is the perfect and cheaper alternative. However, the company may find it harder to break markets such as the UK, as people now expect high internet speeds.

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Step away from the screen: Children in the UK spend a total of 36m hours in front of the TV or online

By Nicola | Posted in Twitter at 12 | February 23, 2011 – 12:59 pm

Research revealed that UK children collectively spend a staggering 36 million hours a day in front of the TV or on their computer.

The average youngster will sit in front of their computer for up to one hour and 50 minutes and watch the television for 2.7 hours (where do they find the time?!)

The Childwise annual monitor report, which questioned 2,445 children aged five to 16 in 120 schools, said that today’s youngsters have a vast amount of access to a wide range of technology and gadgets, with the majority of them owning a laptop or a PC and having their own internet access in their bedrooms.

In fact, nearly two thirds of five to 16-year-olds have their own computer (62%) and the figure amongst five and six year-olds is a rather shocking 24%.

46% said they have internet access in their room and 65% go online nearly every day, with the average child using the internet 5.2 times a week.

But, the statistic that we just couldn’t believe here at QuadroNation was this one – In total, Britain’s children spend 13 million hours on websites every day, most prominently social networking sites like Facebook.

It sounds like the days when children actually spoke face to face and played football in the park are starting to disappear…

We understand that television has always had a strong hold on the nation’s youngsters (Children watch 23 million hours of TV a day, and 62% have a television in their own room), but web seems to be taking over their lives.

Margaret Morrissey of lobby group Parents Outloud said: “If we are building houses that are smaller, children are not going to be as physically active. And it is not really possible in this day and age for them to play out in the street on their own.”

Seems we’re not the only ones to worry.

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2011 – The Year of Mobile Advertising

By Cheryl | Posted in Android, Apple, Internet, Marketing, Mobile, Social networking | February 21, 2011 – 12:55 pm

Mobile AdvertisingAccording to vast amounts of research posted on the net, Mobile Advertising is going to be big business this year.

2010 saw an influx of Smartphone’s hitting the market and it is now estimated that 70% of the world’s population owns a mobile phone (some people even have more than one!).

The success of mobile internet can be somewhat contributed to social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. It is claimed that over 25% (more than 100 million) users access Facebook from their mobile making it’s an advertiser’s paradise.

The most commonly used type of mobile advertisements includes web banners and SMS, with gaming and music videos also proving popular. Many advertisers have jumped on this type of media as mobile phones outnumber TV sets and PC users, allowing them greater views and higher revenue.

The mobile market is ideal for companies wanting to expand their brand. What better way is there to publicise and communicate with customers than through a device they use everyday?

Mobile advertising continues to grow every quarter and was worth £28.6m in 2010. The market has come about quickly considering there wasn’t a huge demand for it a few years ago; showing how much emphasis there is on Smartphone’s and the ability for users to access data on the go.

Although it’s not just Smartphones that have shaped the market, tablets such as the Apple iPad, have set the benchmark for the coming years.

It is likely that mobile video advertising will be one of the main marketing trends this year and could be worth the big investment for companies. It is proven that visual marketing is more successful, so it’s not hard to imagine how lucrative a full screen video advertisement on a mobile phone would be.

The world of mobile advertisements opens up a whole new world for developers and businesses alike; the question is, how long will it be before businesses rely on mobile advertising more than internet advertising?

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Social Networking – The Facts

By Cheryl | Posted in Social networking, Twitter at 12 | February 18, 2011 – 12:59 pm

social networkingWe all have our favourite social networking site, but do we know what actually goes on in some of the world’s most successful companies? How many employees work there? How many users do they have?

We are feeling rather generous today so we decided to tell you a bit more about the sites that take over your life! (well, some of us…)

Facebook

The most popular social networking site of all time was created in a Harvard dorm room in 2004. Although the site struggled to match MySpace after release, the company soon changed this with an overhaul of the site.  Since that day many sites have tried but failed to match the sheer amount of users that Facebook has, with the user count has increasing by roughly 100 million a month. The company announced their 500 million signup in 2010.
Employees – 1700+
Users – 600 million

Twitter

Launched in 2006, Twitter brought an alternative to the Facebook revolution. Although the site has struggled to get close to the enormous amount of users that Facebook has, the site has proved popular around the globe with users generating 65 million tweets a day. Although user signups aren’t as strong as they were in 2009, net usage is up, meaning Twitter is still enjoying their share of popularity in a world dominated by Facebook.
Employees – 351
Users – 190 million

MySpace

MySpace burst on to the scene in 2003 and quickly identified itself as the leading social networking site, even beating out Facebook in traffic. Things quickly turned sour in 2008 when Facebook launched new features in an effort to win the war of the users. Since this day, MySpace has continued in to a downward spiral and was forced to lay off 30% of it’s workforce in June 2009. The company recently gave the site a revamp with the hope of turning their luck around, but in January 2011 were forced to announce that they would be reducing staff numbers again by 47%.
Employees – 1000
Users – 66 million

Foursquare

When Foursquare was launched in 2009 it brought a different dimension to the social networking scene. The location-based website was initially limited to just 100 metro areas but was eventually expanded to allow check-ins from around the world.
Although Facebook have recently launched their own location application, Foursquare is still proving popular especially among young adults. The company enjoyed an amazing 3400% growth in 2010, with 381,576,305 check-ins worldwide.
Employees – 32
Users – 6 million

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LG unveils first 3D Smartphone

By Cheryl | Posted in 3D, Android, Gadgets, Gaming, Twitter at 12 | February 15, 2011 – 12:57 pm

LG Optimus 3DIt was always a matter of who rather than when, as we awaited the announcement of the first 3D Smartphone.

It appears that LG has won the race to release the first 3D phone to the market, as it’s LG Optimus 3D was shown at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, held between the 14th and 17th February.

The phone will come with dual 5-megapixel cameras offering 3D recording, HDMI and DLNA for 3D content sharing, and a LCD screen capable of displaying 3D without the use of special eyewear.

It’s not just the 3D display that’s impressive; the device will contain a dual-core processor, 8GB of storage, and will run Android 2.2 Froyo with an upgrade to Gingerbread possible in the future.

The phone is expected to be released in the spring but it is not yet known what the true market appeal for 3D Smartphones is.

Nintendo were the first to bring out this new technology with their 3DS, and the company have recently announced they expect global sales to hit 4 million by the end of March. Although you can’t really compare the two products, mobile phones are just as likely to be used to play games as they are for making phone calls, making the appeal greater.

The company also announced the first 3D tablet, the LG G-Slate, at the event so expect a review on that in the near future!

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Guitar Hero – The end of an era

By Cheryl | Posted in Twitter at 12 | February 14, 2011 – 12:55 pm

The days of dancing around your living room with a plastic guitar appear to be coming to end as the publishers of Guitar Hero, Activision Blizzard, are axing the popular game.

The series, first released by RedOctane in 2005 before Activision acquired the series in 2006, was considered to be one of the most influential games of all time, placing on many ‘best of’ lists. The game earned over $45 million worldwide, with 1.5 million copies sold, and things only got better for the company when Guitar Hero 2 was released, earning the company $200 million with sold copies hitting 1.3 million.

The franchise continued its successful run with the third title in the series, Guitar Hero 3, continuing the winning trend. The company later announced the title was the first single video game to sell in excess of $1 billion.

The downfall for the franchise came in 2009, when the music game genre started to suffer from poor sales; this led the series in to a downward spiral resulting in Activision announcing the end of the series this month.

So, how did a game so promising fade away so quickly? Many people have attributed the downfall to the company sucking the life out of the series, releasing so many games in such a short amount of time. While this it likely to have caused some profit loss, times have just changed and people have moved on to the next fad such as the Wii Fit and Kinect.

Well, that’s the end of that then. Guitar Hero has sold more than 25 million units worldwide and earned $2 billion, but will forever be remembered as the game that changed the face of the video gaming and the music industry.



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Last.fm ends free mobile streaming

By Cheryl | Posted in Entertainment, Mobile, News, Twitter at 12 | February 11, 2011 – 1:00 pm

lastfm mobileLast.fm is calling time on its free mobile radio streaming from next week as it aims to turn a profit.

Last.fm members wishing to stream the service on their mobile will have to pay £3 per month for the pleasure, although there is an exception. Microsoft have subsidised the service so all Windows 7 mobile and Xbox Live users will still be able to use the mobile radio for free.

So, why did the company decide to do this now?

With the company yet to make an annual profit, the free service was just wasn’t feasible anymore.

Product Vice President, Matthew Hawn, had the following to say on the Last.fm blog: “On the Last.fm website an ad-supported, free-to-listeners model is what supports our online radio services in the US, UK and Germany.”

“In other markets and on emerging mobile and home entertainment devices, it is not practical for us to deliver an ad supported radio experience, but instead, we will migrate to what we believe is the highest quality, lowest cost ad-free music service in the world,” he added.

But most users shouldn’t worry as the desktop browser will remain free for everyone.

Backlash

A lot of users have already complained about the development, with the sites’ forum being used as a venting point for many.

On the back of the criticism, the company have announced they are ready to launch a new mobile application next week which will offer customers a better quality of service.

Will people jump ship?

Competitors such as Pandora (only available in the US) and Slacker still offer free mobile options, so it is probable that only the serious fans of Last.fm will pay for the app.

There is also serious competition with Spotify and although their service is £9.99 a month, users could be led to them as they offer a much larger collection of music.

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Pope sets out blogging guidelines. Amen.

By Nicola | Posted in Twitter at 12 | February 9, 2011 – 12:50 pm

Pope Benedict XVI has issued a warning to all Catholics when it comes to using the internet.

And before you ask, yes this story is true.

One of the weirdest pieces of news this week came in the form of a warning during The Pope’s annual message for the church’s World Day of Social Communications. He said he wants to ensure that all Catholics remain respectful, especially when they are using the World Wide Web to promote religion.

He has called for all those feeling faithful to adopt a ‘Christian style presence’ while online that is responsible, honest and discreet.

In his message, he said: “We must be aware that the truth which we long to share does not derive its worth from its ‘popularity’ or from the amount of attention it receives

“The proclamation of the Gospel requires a communication which is at once respectful and sensitive.”

(Bet you didn’t think you would read about The Pope and blogging today did you?!)

The rest of The Pope’s message echoed many of the same things he has commented on before, including people replacing real relationships with digital ones as created on social networking sites such as Facebook.

He added: “There exists a Christian way of communication which is honest and open, responsible and respectful of others

“To proclaim the Gospel through the new media means not only to insert expressly religious content into different media platforms, but also to witness consistently, in one’s own digital profile and in the way one communicates choices, preference and judgments that are fully consistent with the Gospel.”

So, there you have it. The Pope’s thoughts on all things technical.

It may be good to add at this point that the 83-year-old has admitted that he is by no means a whizkid. In fact, he writes longhand and has declared to a certain lack of internet knowledge within the Vatican.

Put it this way, there will not be a friend request from him coming your way anytime soon…

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Dude, where’s my tweets?

By Cheryl | Posted in Twitter at 12 | February 2, 2011 – 12:59 pm

Research revealed this week has shown that the website king of microblogging Twitter has seen a noticeable decrease in the number of signups it gets.

So, does this start the decline of a site that has shaped the way we look at social networking? Unlikely.

Twitter experienced rapid growth in 2009 and reached it’s peak midway through the year; and although the numbers may not make for as good a reading as back then, Twitter still records massive growth annually.

Looking at stats for the US paints a different picture of the doom and gloom that critics has bestowed on the company, with reports showing that although signups are down, net usage is up. Americans now spend roughly 2 hours and 12 minutes per month on Twitter, compared to 1 hour and 51 minutes a year ago.

The Facts
Average Twitter users have 27 followers (down from 42 in August 2009)
80% of Twitter users have tweeted 10 times or less
The number of new Twitter users per month is about 6.2 million (down about 20%)

These facts might not make for the best of readings so how does this affect you and your business? One good way to look at them is that people you interact with on the site are going to be more loyal to the network. It’s these users who will spend more time on the site and understand how it works and who hopefully will provide more worthwhile information.

Comparing
Although many people constantly point out how much better Facebook is doing, is it right to compare the two? Of course not. Facebook attracts many of the younger generation because of its games and galleries, whereas Twitter has a much more simplistic feel. Both have their audience for business and pleasure and when both companies are worth a few billion, what’s there to complain about?

Conclusion
Being a fan of Twitter myself, I think its doing just fine. Of course the company doesn’t want to see a decline of users in their home country, but Twitter staff were confident that the new features would attract more people to the site again.
Another positive? Many critics have failed to mention that these statistics don’t include mobile or desktop client usage which is easily around half of all Twitter usage. Good job you have unbiased people like me…

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