A representative for ailing veteran actress ANITA EKBERG has appealed for financial help from the estate executors in charge of her LA DOLCE VITA director FEDERICO FELLINI's fortune.
The Swedish-born star, a former model, is wheelchair-bound and has been living in a home for the elderly near Rome, Italy after her house was set on fire during a burglary.
The 80 year old's finances are being looked after by court-appointed administrator Massimo Morais, and he recently wrote to Fellini's estate pleading poverty, insisting Ekberg is struggling to get by because she has no valuable assets.
Morais tells Italian newspaper La Stampa, "It's not elegant to say it but Mrs Ekberg's real problem is a lack of liquidity.
"The Fellini Foundation has not replied yet but I am confident of solidarity from anyone who wants to share with other benefactors in helping out, however modestly, a good actress who really deserves it."
In a stunning move, Google and ITA Software unveiled their long-awaited Flight Search product — with booking links to airline websites only.
At this juncture, at least, it seems to be a worst-case scenario for online travel agencies such as Expedia and Priceline and travel metasearch engines such as Kayak and Bing Travel, which were concerned or fought Google’s acquisition of ITA Software five months ago.
And, Google Flight Search appears to be a clear win – even more dramatic than anticipated — for airlines over their frenemies in the OTA and metasearch sector as they vie for site traffic and bookings.
Of course, it all depends on how the airline-Google economics work out, and for now Google isn’t providing any details on that.
In a blog post today about the launch of Flight Search, Google states: “… Our booking links point to airline websites only. We’re working to create additional opportunities for our other partners in the travel industry to participate as well.”
Google’s official take on the issue is this:
Like any other partner, Google needs to honor the airlines’ distribution decisions. It has long been known in the industry that the control of pricing data and distribution of the same by airlines is tightly held. That means that we can only show airlines in the booking links.
We will be exploring advertising opportunities within the page to showcase the products and services from other relevant partners, including OTA and metasearch partners. We’d also like to give users and advertisers alike the opportunity to provide feedback so that we could iterate.”
Google Flight Search is available on Google.com from anywhere in the world.
You can access Google Flight Search in two ways: from a Flights link in the left-hand panel after doing a flight search in the Google search box or by navigating directly to Google.com/flights.
If you enter “flights from San Francisco to Orlando” in the Google search box, another feature, flight schedules, available since late May, appears below in the search results, but a new Flights link appears in the left-hand panel.
When you click on the Flights link, a Google Map appears displaying a San Francisco to Orlando fare as well as fares to other major U.S. destinations.
For now, Google Flight Search only shows roundtrip fares from major airlines to a limited number of U.S. cities, and will eventually be expanded to include international markets for flights. Google is in the process of rolling out Flight Search today.
There are numerous ways to filter the flight results: by number of stops, flight duration, airlines, airline alliances, connections, outbound times, return times, dates, and price etc.
You can search by date using a calendar underneath the map or select the scatter plot beneath the calendar to filter by price and/or duration.
For consumers looking for a little travel inspiration and a bargain, you can also use the map and filters to see where you can fly from New York, without specifying a destination, within four hours for less than $350, for example.
The flight results, for a San Francisco to Orlando search, appear like this:
Google says flight search results are “not influenced by any paid relationships.”
In other words, Flight Search contrasts sharply with Google Hotel Finder, where hotel results are driven by advertising relationships.
Google has constructed a very simple user experience, which is designed to be very fast, with flight options “chosen primarily based on cost and total travel time, while covering a variety of departure times and airlines,” Google says.
So, in the above example, the $484 American Airlines flight from San Francisco to Orlando via Dallas appears higher in the results than the cheaper $482 Continental Airlines flight via Houston, presumably because of the duration-filter setting and the shorter duration on the American Airlines flight.
And, this is what the Google Flight Search booking link page looks like for a San Francisco to Salt Lake City United Airlines flight, operated by United Express/Skywest Airlines.
Note, that the Book button appears within the search results. When you select Book, Google Flight Search provides a “deep link” to the airline website, says Cara Kretz, an ITA Software spokesperson.
In its blog post, Google characterizes the initial version of Flight Search as “an early look,” adding that it “combines ITA expertise with Google’s technology…”
That comment may have meaning for critics of Google’s acquisition of ITA Software, who sometimes argued that Google could have just as well licensed ITA’s QPX fares, schedules and availability solution instead of buying it and the whole company.
“We can do things really fast with a lot of computers,” says Kretz of ITA. “This was one of the things that was so appealing. Google can do things really fast and handle lots of volume.”
Kretz says Google intends to introduce new features, such as one-way fares and multi-city itineraries, and she adds that the launch today was merely a “first step.”
Google is talking to airlines about adding them as participants — today Flight Search merely shows some major U.S. carriers – and plans to add international markets, of course, although no timetable has been publicized.
Kretz says ITA Software is not currently offering this particular Flight Search technology to its current QPX customers.
“We’re evaluating all opportunities,” Kretz says.
Google’s first iteration of Flight Search may give pause to some major online travel agencies and others which said they were concerned about the ITA acquisition, but were open to the possibility that Flight Search would merely provide them with better customer leads.
Google Flight Search, which was feared by some and speculated about for years, has at long last arrived in its initial and evolving form.
Non-airline advertisers will undoubtedly secure some real estate in Google Flight Search, but for now at least, the airlines clearly have the upper hand.
Robert Birge, chief marketing officer of ITA customer Kayak, expressed confidence in the company’s ability to compete, adding “…We believe our flight search technology is superior.”
Says Birge:
We recognize Google is a formidable competitor but they haven’t been successful in every vertical they entered. We use multiple data sources and proprietary technology, all of which helps us in our efforts to provide people with comprehensive, fast and accurate answers to their flight search needs.
We're always on the lookout for unusual accessories and we think we've found one with the "No. 1 Docker." Made from soft, American dry-milled leather, this case looks and feels great. Cost: $170
One of the exciting aspects of the iPad is its potential for art. This brush, with its specially conductive bristles, is a great accessory for budding iArtists. Cost: $31
If you're looking for a case that's a little different, Maroo is worth a look. As well as in-house cases, such as the models pictured, you'll also find edgy designs from TV's Seth Aaron. Cost: From $39.99
Obviously designed for keen cooks, we love Belkin's Chef Stand + Stylus, a washable kitchen stand that will display your iPad, whether you're referencing recipes, listening to music or watching TV. Cost: $39.99
If you're looking to get more out of your iPad case, the iPag is a great option. Slimline and functional, it boasts a chic urban design. Cost: Approx $70
This model is just one of many Wallee iPad accessories. Once you get the Wallee case, consider adding various stands, wall holders and even VESA mounts to your collection. Cost: Varies
Finally, the ultimate iPad accessory for fans of vintage Apple style, the iStation offers stereo sound, a built-in Bluetooth keyboard, and some serious retro cool. Cost: $85.90
The miFrame turns your iPad into an 8-inch by 10-inch photo frame. Available in black or silver, it's a slimline storage solution for your iPad, even lending it useful, aesthetic functionality while you're not using it. Cost: $79
We're always on the lookout for unusual accessories and we think we've found one with the "No. 1 Docker." Made from soft, American dry-milled leather, this case looks and feels great. Cost: $170
One of the exciting aspects of the iPad is its potential for art. This brush, with its specially conductive bristles, is a great accessory for budding iArtists. Cost: $31
If you're looking for a case that's a little different, Maroo is worth a look. As well as in-house cases, such as the models pictured, you'll also find edgy designs from TV's Seth Aaron. Cost: From $39.99
Obviously designed for keen cooks, we love Belkin's Chef Stand + Stylus, a washable kitchen stand that will display your iPad, whether you're referencing recipes, listening to music or watching TV. Cost: $39.99
If you're looking to get more out of your iPad case, the iPag is a great option. Slimline and functional, it boasts a chic urban design. Cost: Approx $70
This model is just one of many Wallee iPad accessories. Once you get the Wallee case, consider adding various stands, wall holders and even VESA mounts to your collection. Cost: Varies
Finally, the ultimate iPad accessory for fans of vintage Apple style, the iStation offers stereo sound, a built-in Bluetooth keyboard, and some serious retro cool. Cost: $85.90
So, Santa dropped an iPad 2 down your chimney? Lucky you. One of the great things about buying into the Apple craze is the rich and diverse range of accessories available for all iProducts.
The iPad is no exception. You can choose from a bewildering array of cases, stands, speakers, dock, and other peripherals available for the Apple tablet. If you’re looking to accessorize your shiny new iPad 2, we’re here to help. We’ve hand-picked a selection of 10 companion products we think stand out from the crowd.
Take a look through our image gallery of worthy great accessories. Let us know in the comments if any of these tempt you, and link us to anything else you’ve seen that has caught your eye.
A Utah woman held captive for five days used a Facebook status update to save her and her 17-month-old son from a grisly hostage situation.
The woman hid in a closet with a laptop and posted a message saying that she and her son would be “dead by morning” if no one came to their aid, Police Sgt. Jon Arnold told The Associated Press. A friend read the post and notified police, who came to her rescue on Saturday.
Police arrested Troy Reed Critchfield, 33, who was jailed Saturday while they investigate charges of aggravated kidnapping, child abuse, aggravated assault, forcible sodomy, domestic violence, animal cruelty and other charges.
According to the report, the woman told officers that Critchfield took her cellphone and another phone in the home that belonged to a disabled child. He also forcibly blocked her from opening the door.
The woman, who is unnamed in the report, had bruises, but refused medical treatment. She told police that Critchfield also treated her son roughly and refused to let her feed the family dog.
This isn’t the first time Facebook has been central to a hostage situation. In June, a man named Jason Valdez, also in Utah, updated his status on the social network during a 16-hour standoff with SWAT teams. Valdez eventually shot himself in the chest as officers swarmed the room. Valdez survived the incident and was sent to jail in July.
You’ve probably heard a lot about Pinterest over the last few months. Not only has the company received $27 million in venture funds, but the site’s popularity has exploded from 1.2 million users in August to over 4 million today.
But like any new social site, there’s always the question, “How does it work?” Have no fear, soon-to-be-Pintrest fan, we’ll show you the ropes.
1. What is Pinterest?
Pinterest is a place to organize and share online images that you find interesting or inspiring. Once uploaded or shared on Pinterest, these images become known as Pins, which the user can place on customized, themed Boards. You can create Boards for any topic imaginable, from cats to classic cars to cats driving classic cars. The possibilities are endless.
If you want to check out Pinterest, though, you have to be invited. You can sign up for invites on the site (prepare for a wait), or chances are you already know a Pinner who will gladly send you an invite.
2. What is Pinterest For?
While there’s nothing wrong with just pinning pictures of cool stuff all day, Pinterest can be a really valuable tool for people with a specific purpose in mind. For example, many brides-to-be have replaced bulky three-ring binder wedding planners with the simplicity and portability of a Pinterest account. Some people create a Board for each room in the house and then pin decorating ideas for that room. Artists use it to organize inspiring images for their work. Cooks keep an online recipe box. College students might create a shopping list of things they need to buy for school. DIY-ers can bookmark tutorials for those rainy day projects. Boards can have multiple contributors, so collaborating with co-workers on a project is easy with everyone’s ideas and inspiration in one place.
3. How Do I Pin Stuff?
Pinning is easy with the official Pin It Button, a simple drag-and-drop browser extension. When you come across an image you like, just click the button and select the corresponding picture. Assign the pin to a Board, add accompanying text, and you’re done. If the Pin is something you want to buy, include the price in the description and it will attach to the Pin for easy reference. If you find inspiration on the go, take a picture with your iPhone and add it to your Boards with the mobile app. (Sorry, no Android support at this time.) You can also Repin posts from other people.
4. What’s the Social Angle?
Pinning’s more fun when you do it together. To find other Pinners, access the Everything drop-down menu and filter Boards by category. When you see a good Pin, leave a comment, Like it, or Repin to one of your own Boards. If you find a Board that’s especially interesting, follow its updates, or head to the Pinner’s profile and follow all of her Boards. Like Twitter, it’s an open network, so follows don’t require permission, and you don’t have to follow anyone back.
You can tweet or share pins on Facebook to help expand your network across all three services.
Check out the Popular button to see what pins are trending at the moment. It’s a great way to find new content and to find Pinners who share your interests.
Your birthday’s coming up and you really like that necklace on Etsy, right? Hint, hint by sharing a Pin with another Pinner: Use an @mention in the description, just like you do on other social sites. They’ll get an email to let them know they’ve been mentioned.
5. Anything Else I Should Know?
Most Pins are photos, but you can pin videos, too. Hit the Videos button at the top of the page to see everything from movie trailers to sewing tutorials to the latest viral videos.
If you’re looking to buy a gift for someone, check out the Gifts menu to find Pins that have a price associated. With dollar values ranging from $1 to $500+, you can find something to fit any budget. And because Pins usually link back to the source website, buying something you like is easy.
Pinterest might seem like a natural place to promote your small business, but do so with caution. It’s frowned upon to spam your Boards with nothing but your own products or projects. That doesn’t mean it’s outright banned, but you need to contribute more to the community if you want to stay in its good graces. Use this opportunity to build your brand by linking and connecting to people who share the same style, or by pinning images that inspire your company’s work. You can use Pinterest for self-promotion, just do so creatively.
Mr Kravitz took the Twitter account after leaving Phonedog in October last year
A man is being sued for keeping Twitter followers that he attracted while working for a US mobile news website.
Noah Kravitz tweeted for Phonedog as @Phonedog_Noah, but later changed his username when he left the company - taking 17,000 followers with him.
The company is now seeking damages of $2.50 (£1.60) per user, per month - a total of $370,000.
Mr Kravitz said his former employer had given him permission to continue using the account after he left.
He told the New York Times that Phonedog had allowed him to make the account personal as long as he agreed to "tweet on their behalf from time to time".
The 17,000 followers, which have since risen to 22,000, had been built up by Mr Kravitz during his four years at the company where he worked as a blogger.
However, eight months later the company filed a lawsuit claiming that the account's followers were a customer list, and that it had invested "substantial" resources into building it.
In a written statement, it said: "The costs and resources invested by Phonedog Media into growing its followers, fans and general brand awareness through social media are substantial and are considered property of Phonedog Media.
"We intend to aggressively protect our customer lists and confidential information, intellectual property, trademark and brands."
“Companies will now be developing careful ways of deciding if they want to tweet with a conjoined account”
Barbara CooksonIntellectual property lawyer
Strong personality
Corporate control of Twitter accounts has been a highly debated subject. Legal experts believe this latest case could set a precedent for future ownership tussles.
"Companies will now be developing careful ways of deciding if they want to tweet with a conjoined account," said Barbara Cookson, an intellectual property lawyer in the UK.
"For ordinary businesses it's quite difficult to gain a following without a strong personality. You have to have a very strong brand for it to work."
Ms Cookson argued it is hard to pinpoint a financial value to Twitter followers as it is unclear why they follow a particular account.
It's arguable as to whether a Twitter follower list is comparable to a mailing list.
"If Phonedog has been using it to run offers, it perhaps is a mailing list that has value."
However, intellectual property solicitor Leigh Ellis said Phonedog are likely to have a strong case as the original account featured the company's name.
"Let me put it this way, I'd prefer to be on Phonedog's side," he told the BBC.
"If you're a follower, who are you following? You might be following Noah, but it's PhonedogNoah. There's a very good argument that the reputation accrued is to the company, rather than the individual."
A lawsuit between Noah Kravitz, a writer who used to write for mobile phone site, Phonedog.com, and the company has raised the uncomfortable issue of who owns a Twitter account. It is a nuanced case, explained in detail in the New York Times.
Suffice to say that depending on how the issue is decided, it could upend the business practices that have formed around this channel—from promoting to branding to customer service.
For anyone in shock that their Twitter contacts might not belong to them, well, they can consider this their last warning. They very well could not be.
In fact, the question about who owns Twitter contacts has already been raised in the LinkedIn channel.
In a guest post for Forbes.com, book author and Distributed Marketing blogger Deb McAlister explored the subject. (Quick answer: it depends, but don’t count on it being you). Movie Rights and Reddit Forums
Indeed, the question of ownership is popping up in all kinds of online forums. Writing for Hollywood Reporter, Eriq Gardner recently looked at whether Warner Bros. really has exclusive movie rights to a story posted on Reddit? (Quick summary: James Erwin, a largely unknown author, pulled out of Reddit after selling a movie plot to Warner Bros. that he posted via a series of stories on the site. His reason for abandoning Reddit is that he has concerns about the user agreement and whether it means Reddit might own the rights to his work.)
Such an expansive interpretation of intellectual property rights, or not, on social networks could impact more than just the narrow question of who owns which contacts. Any site that attracts user generated content, from Google to Apple to Amazon, to well, just about every online site that has an open comments section.
Even Facebook–or at least a good portion of its advertising revenues–is at risk. Bye Bye Sponsored Stories, At Least Those Involving Minors
A suit has been filed against Facebook in California alleging it violates a state law on commercial endorsements—namely, it bans using someone’s name for economic benefit without their permission. Federal district judge Lucy Koh has ruled the suit can move forward. (The Fraley v. Facebook class action complaint was initially filed in the California Superior Court for the County of Santa Clara. Facebook removed the case to federal court on the basis that it raised exclusively federal issues under in Class Action Fairness Act.)
Based on how the California statutes reads, attorneys tell me this case has a good chance of succeeding, which would be a problem for Facebook—not to mention those brands that have invested millions in their Facebook channels for precisely such socially-oriented advertising opportunities.
Because so much is at stake—Facebook’s advertising revenues are expected to rise to $6.9 billion in 2012, from an estimated $4.27 billion, 90% of which are due to advertising, according to eMarketer—Facebook will likely settle the case, says Jorge Espinosa, partner with the Miami-based Intellectual Property law firm Espinosa | Trueba.
Still, there will be unexpected implications for marketers because any settlement is bound to result in internal policy changes, he says.
Facebook has made considerable privacy control concessions with the FTC and more recently, Ireland’s Office of the Data Protection Commissioner. Definition of a Minor, Which Facebook Doesn’t Acknowledge
The next front, Espinosa believes, will be minors, and policies regarding their use of Facebook will be prominent in any settlement, he predicts.
“Many states have rights of publicity laws, which prevent the use of the name or likeness of a person without their permission. With a minor, however, he or she lacks the capacity to grant such permission without parental approval.”
Consumer Reports published a study in May suggesting that 38% of minors on Facebook are under the age of 13 in direct violation of Facebook’s alleged policy, he noted.
Another problem with the Facebook policy is that it extends only to minors below the age of 13, which of course, is below the definition of minor in most states. “Minors under 18 but over 13 can create accounts but their information is not listed on search sites. This policy does not address at all the internal marketing within Facebook using the child’s name and image.”
As you put the finishing touches on 2012 budgets and plans, it’s important to build a point of view on the future. While it’s impossible to predict what will happen or when, running through a few what-if scenarios makes you more prepared for changes as they come.
In this column, we’ll highlight some of the trends and possibilities we see for digital marketing in 2012. But first, let’s review the predictions I made in our 2011 predictions and trends column last year – to see if my foresight was correct.
My prediction that marketers would increasingly apply automation to combat rising costs-per-click for paid search was spot on. Across our clients, we saw a dramatic shift in click-share from broad to exact match keywords, resulting in improvements in CPC across the board.
I also correctly called the launch of Google+, writing that “a new, more social search algorithm will allow users to rate search results or even websites, and have user ‘likes’ factored into ranking algorithms.” Take that, Nostradamus!
But no soothsayer gets by without a fair number of misses. Predicting that online merchants would convert visitors off-site through mobile, social, and local platforms was premature.
While brands are building experiences on these platforms, they are often designed for top-of-funnel engagement as opposed to converting visitors off-site.
Finally, my crystal ball must have been broken altogether when I anticipated that Facebook would launch an ad network for 3rd party publishers to rival the Google Display Network.
So what does the future hold? Below are four trends to look out for in the coming year.
Google Dials-up New Incentives & Options For Advertisers
While the headline here may sound like saying “the sky is blue,” hear me out on this one. In aggregate, as costs-per-click continue to rise for Google’s ad networks, Google is at risk of driving incremental dollars elsewhere.
For years now, Google has been the only game in town, but with the rise of Facebook and the advent of the search alliance, real alternatives for advertisers may be on the way. To continue capturing the lion’s share of net-new ad spend, Google has to continue innovating with its advertising products.
Innovations will include improvements to matching algorithms that make more efficient use of ad inventory. Remember, quality score is an incentive mechanism, and one which Google can easily dial-up to drive behavior.
Deeper discounts for advertisers that do a better job of managing quality scores will result in a heightened focus on optimizing match types and negatives. New ad formats and options will also play a role in increasing ad inventory for Google.
Look for innovations in retail product listings, travel search, and local offers to abound – creating high return opportunities for first movers.
Advertisers Find Themselves Needing To Make Friends
Google “+1’s” and Facebook “Talking about this” scores are just the beginning. In their quest to capture brand dollars and improve ad relevance, Google and Facebook will begin to incorporate social likeability and sentiment measurements into ad rankings.
In response, advertisers will begin to invest heavily in promoting “+1’s” and “likes” to consumers via PPC ads. Consumers will benefit as ads for more popular products and brands are presented more often. Purveyors of television or print media, on the other hand, will find themselves getting the short end of the stick as brand dollars increasingly shift online.
Search Outpaces Apps For Dominance In Mobile Marketing
While paid search already claims the largest share of mobile advertising dollars, advertisers should expect it to attain outsized gains in 2012. For mobile, tracking and analytics remains the largest roadblock for many advertisers. Advertisers lose visibility as soon as a visitor clicks into the app marketplace or uses an app, and tracking a click out from a mobile app using to traditional analytics tools is difficult at best.
Rather than continuing to double down on apps, advertisers will look to simplify their existing web experience for the mobile browser. HTML 5 will play a role in this trend, making the power of application design available on mobile devices through a standard Web browser.
As mobile experiences becomes more integrated into the website, advertisers will gain improved visibility into campaigns, allowing them to invest more accurately in performance advertising and paid search.
Exchanges Increase Transparency, Resulting In Increased Investment
Yahoo!’s recent move, requiring that advertisers have a seat on the exchange, gave them better visibility into their customers media plans. Expect more exchanges to follow a similar route. If requiring individual advertisers to have accounts proves too restrictive, exchanges may simply roll out separate pricing structures for advertisers vs. intermediaries through use of API fees or pricing floors.
Customers will benefit from the improved visibility, receiving better insight into how much biddable media is costing them. DSP’s and Trading Desks will be forced to respond with more transparent and standardized pricing. Expect percentage-of-media-spend pricing models to emerge and a drive toward self-service platforms as advertisers become increasingly involved in the buying process.
As we turn the corner on the New Year, we’ll see which of these trends and predictions play out. If you have predictions that we missed, please leave them in the comments section below. We’ll see you in 2012!
Yesterday I upgraded my Nexus S to Android 4.0, or Ice Cream Sandwich. As Google's over-the-air rollout is gradual, I thought I would share my experiences thus far for the benefit of those who have not yet made the leap.
The Nexus S is one of Google's more-or-less-annual flagship phones and the immediate predecessor to the Galaxy Nexus that is on shelves now. Like the Galaxy Nexus, the Nexus S was the first phone to sport a major new version of Android, in stock form, sans manufacturer skinning.
In the case of the Nexus S, that version was Android 2.3, or Gingerbread. The Galaxy Nexus has provided the debut for Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS). But the beauty of Google's flagship phones is that they are the first existing handsets to get upgraded to a new version.
CyanogenMod had already put out builds of their take on ICS, but I wanted to wait for the vanilla version. This was duly announced on Friday, with the news that a gradual deployment had begun.
Now, I'd been happy to wait out the mod phase, but I was too impatient to wait for my phone's turn for OTA. I found a link for the upgrade file download here (I take no responsibility for the instructions on that forum, but they worked for me) and very quickly found myself with an ICS-ified Nexus S, complete with all my apps and settings in place as before.
(Note: I have a GSM Nexus S. I don't think the CDMA device upgrade is out yet.)
The change is quite profound; certainly the biggest upgrade Android has received since the leap to 'Eclair' 2.1 and — in UI terms at least — probably the most fundamental since Android phones first came out.
Everything seems to have changed, some in bigger ways than others. One big UI change is the importance of swiping between left and right in ICS (see here for a list of uses), but the most immediately visible change is the customisable dock at the bottom of the screen:
This is a good thing — I use it for phone, Gmail, texting and web. You will also notice the Google search bar at the top. That's for searching the phone and the web, and it is more or less omnipresent.
Here's the settings page, to show off the new font, Roboto. It is one of the reasons why everything in Android 4.0 seems so refreshed:
The clock and dialler have a more, um, drastic font. I'm not sure if it's an exaggerated Roboto or something else:
As you can see, what once was green is now blue. This last screenshot (oh yeah, ICS does those natively now) features the volume control over the revamped browser, and shows how the colour change couples with other new stylings to make the whole Android experience feel different from before:
That browser, by the way, feels faster in some respects but seems to take an annoyingly long time to resolve some text when I zoom in — it stays blurry for longer than I like. It offers more windows than before, though, and Flash et cetera all seem to work.
What also works is Swype, which was a pleasant surprise as the Swype team tweeted on Thursday that they did not yet support the Galaxy Nexus, due to "changes in how Android reports screen resolution in ICS". That must have to do with the Galaxy Nexus's far superior res, then.
Some of the changes are, at first, more annoying than anything else. It will take a while to get used to scrolling sideways in the apps menu, rather than up and down. Also, there's a new method for picking up calls and — as I learned to my frustration — a new method for rejecting them. But overall, it's almost all a change for the better.
The Gmail and Calendar apps are pretty radically different too, and also in a good way, but I've refrained from showing you screenshots of those because, well, that stuff's personal.
Of course, you'll want the developers of your third-party apps to keep in line with the move to ICS. I generally found no problem here, with the glaring exception of Worms, my favourite mobile game, which now features my players walking off cliffs, jetpacking off into distant seas and playing hopscotch in minefields. Team17, please update the app.
I am very much looking forward to trying out ICS on a tablet. It is of course the first version of Android to be designed to work across smartphones and slates alike, and I expect great things, particularly as I suspect we will see much cheaper Android tablets coming out in 2012.
So yes, I am very happy with the upgrade. Not that there was anything wrong with Gingerbread, and I'm not sure I'll ever use some of the new ICS features, such as NFC-based tap-to-share, but it's a welcome refresh and a pleasure to get for free.
I do wonder, though, how much of the design aesthetic behind ICS was inspired by the Windows Phone interface. I don't mean "inspired by" as in "nicked from", because they still look very different, but I strongly suspect that Microsoft's impressively clean UI was taken into account as Android 4.0 was put together. Either way, I approve.
Ofcom has set out its proposed rules for the upcoming 4G spectrum auction, with the aim of ensuring there is sufficient competition and coverage when the high-speed mobile broadband technology is deployed in the UK.
Ofcom's proposed spectrum auction rules should ensure a competitive 4G market in the UK, says chief Ed Richards. Photo credit: David Meyer
The regulator's proposals were published on Tuesday. If they survive consultation — interested parties have until 31 May to respond — there will have to be at least four operators in a position to wholesale 4G connectivity to mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) such as Tesco Mobile. In order to achieve this, Ofcom wants to set a minimum 'floor' for the amount of 4G spectrum held by each of the big operators.
"The auction will be a very substantial moment in the history of spectrum management and the commercial use of spectrum in the UK," Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards said at the proposal's launch in London on Tuesday. "It is arguably the most significant event ever in terms of the sheer volume of the spectrum being released."
Spectrum auction
The spectrum that will go up for auction in the first quarter of 2012 resides in the 800MHz band and the 2.6GHz band. Overall, there is 80 percent more spectrum becoming available in this auction than all the 3G spectrum allocated just over a decade ago.
The 800MHz band is currently used for analogue TV broadcasts, and will not be available for nationwide redeployment until the end of 2012. It offers less bandwidth than the 2.6GHz band, but services using 800MHz can propagate over further distances.
This is why — in a move that should ensure significant rural coverage — Ofcom has proposed that one of the companies to successfully bid for 800MHz spectrum should be obliged to build out their service to cover 95 percent of the UK population by the end of 2017, with a minimum service speed of 2Mbps.
Describing this condition as providing a "step-up in capacity and a step-up in coverage", Richards pointed out that 3G licence obligations require only 90 percent national coverage, and at much slower speeds.
Wide availability
Ofcom has also proposed reserving some 2.6GHz spectrum for small bidders that might want to roll out low-power, localised networks whose users can roam onto national 2.6GHz networks when they leave, for example, their office or campus.
The auction will be a very substantial moment in the history of spectrum management and the commercial use of spectrum in the UK.
– Ed Richards, Ofcom
Richards said he expected operators to start rolling out 4G services — which will most probably use the long-term evolution (LTE) standard already being deployed in the US, Sweden, Japan and elsewhere — early in 2013. He said 4G services should offer speeds of at least 4Mbps, roughly comparable to the speeds most people achieve now on their DSL fixed-line broadband connections.
"We want to encourage investment, we want to see networks deployed, but we also want to promote competition as well," Richards said. "We also want to ensure there is wide availability of those services... It's competition alongside that investment which delivers those benefits, not only in the short term but in the long term as well."
Richards said there will be a "risk to competition" if unrestricted bidding is allowed. For this reason, it has set out the spectrum-holding floors and caps that will also ensure no single operator can get too much of an advantage over its rivals.
The caps do not just include the spectrum coming up for auction. They limit the amount of sub-1GHz spectrum any one company can hold — O2 and Vodafone already have 900MHz 2G spectrum that Ofcom has recently said they can 'refarm' for 3G services, so they would have to give some of that up if they wanted to buy a very large amount of 800MHz spectrum.
'Commitment to investment'
Ofcom has shown a "commitment to stimulating investment in mobile broadband", says 3 chief Kevin Russell. Photo credit: David Meyer
These floors and caps are designed to ensure that 3 in particular will be able to stay in the mobile broadband game once 4G is rolled out. It is the smallest operator but, following the merger last year of T-Mobile and Orange into Everything Everywhere, Ofcom's mandated minimum of four wholesale-capable 4G operators will almost certainly have to include 3.
"Ofcom's proposals set out the core principle that the UK must retain four wholesale mobile operators," 3 chief Kevin Russell said in a statement. "Against a background of consolidation in the UK and US, this is a clear and strong commitment from Ofcom and the UK government that will stimulate investment in mobile broadband and protect UK consumers."
"The January 2011 re-allocation of 2G spectrum has given a huge competitive advantage to Vodafone, O2 and Everything Everywhere. Ofcom's proposals seek to rebalance this in the medium term, but there are still immediate distortions that need to be addressed. These include significant coverage, capacity and financial benefits," Russell added.
Richards told ZDNet UK that it is "very important that we do not presume" there will be only four wholesale-capable 4G operators after the auction. "What we have done is proposed a framework [and we are] expecting a good, robust discussion about this. The framework ensures a minimum of four national wholesalers, and it's not for us to prejudge that," he said.
Economic circumstances
Richards also refused to speculate as to how much the auction will raise. He said such predictions would be a "fool's game" and pointed out that "it all depends on economic circumstances at the time". The 3G auction, which raised £22.5bn for the government in 2000, happened at the height of the dotcom boom, he noted, and recent Swedish and German auctions for 4G spectrum produced very different outcomes.
I hope all interested parties recognise the UK needs to move on with this now. It's not in the interest of consumers for there to be any more delay.
– Ed Richards, Ofcom
If the auction occurs in early 2012, as Ofcom hopes, it will already be almost four years behind the regulator's original schedule for a 2.6GHz auction. The delays have been caused by a variety of reasons, chiefly due to operator litigation around the spectrum refarming issue. The operators argued they would not know how much to bid for new spectrum until they knew how much use they could get out the spectrum they already held.
Richards hopes the new Ofcom consultation does not also spill over into the courts. "That would delay the award, and if it delays the awards there is only one loser — the British consumer," he said.
"I hope all interested parties recognise the UK needs to move on with this now... and accept that a judgement has got to be made," he added. "It's not in the interest of consumers for there to be any more delay. I'm not going to get into who did what... the past is the past [but there is a] danger that we become laggards."
Culture secretary Jeremy Hunt has called on the UK's mobile operators to stop delaying the 4G spectrum auction.
Culture secretary Jeremy Hunt has urged UK mobile network operators not to stall the much-delayed 4G spectrum auction.Photo credit: Conservative Party
The auction is already almost four years late, having originally been scheduled for September 2008. Much of the delay has been caused by operators going to court to stall the sell-off. In a speech to the Royal Television Society on Wednesday, Hunt said "we must press on as quickly as possible with the 4G auction".
"Sweden completed their auction in 2009, Germany last year, Italy is doing theirs this week and France will finish theirs this year," Hunt said. "Mobile phone operators must put aside competitive differences and work together in their common — and our national — interest to make this happen."
Hunt added that "super-fast mobile" is crucial to Britain's future. It is needed if the UK is to be in the "fast lane" when it comes to the internet of things, he said, in a reference to the billions of devices that are becoming network enabled.
The 4G auction will sell off 72MHz of spectrum in the 800MHz band and 190MHz in the 2.6GHz band. The most likely technology to use that spectrum is the 4G technology LTE, which is is around 10 times faster than today's HSDPA technology.
Auction disputes
While there is no litigation under way at the moment, in the last few years, there have been some court cases over the auction. The disputes have centred on whether operators holding 2G voice and SMS spectrum will be able to 'refarm' it for 3G mobile broadband. Operators have argued that until they know the answer to this, they cannot decide on the amount of their bids for new mobile broadband spectrum.
The regulator wants to ensure there will be at least four major operators that can wholesale fast mobile broadband connectivity once the upcoming 4G spectrum auction has been completed
Reports emerged at the start of September that O2 and other companies have made veiled threats of fresh litigation. Although all operators are running out of mobile broadband capacity, further delays would particularly harm Three as it is the only network operator in the UK without 2G spectrum to reuse.
Ofcom said it hopes the spectrum will be allocated as soon as possible, so that operators will be able to introduce 4G-based mobile broadband services when the frequencies are turned over to new use in 2013.
"Given the ample opportunity that we will have given the MNOs [mobile network operators] and others to explain their views and concerns to us, we would hope that all stakeholders will accept the outcome of the discussions around this process without further challenge, and allow the UK's citizens and consumers to enjoy the benefits of 4G services as soon as possible," a spokesperson for the regulator told ZDNet UK.
The amount of 4G spectrum being released in the auction is 80 percent greater than the 3G spectrum that the government sold off for a staggering £22.5bn in 2000. The mobile industry has regretted for many years the way bidding spiralled out of control for 3G, and examples such as the German 4G auction in May 2010, which netted around £3.7bn, suggest bids will be much lower this time round.
Mobile operator Three is preparing to test out 4G technology, which holds the promise of faster mobile broadband speeds than are possible with today's 3G networks.
Three has said it will begin performing 4G technical trials in the Thames Valley area in early 2012.Photo credit: Enjoy Truro
The operator said on Wednesday that a one-month technical trial will take place from March in the Thames Valley, the same area where O2 performed its early 4G tests. Three will be testing out 2.6GHz spectrum, which is very high-bandwidth, at around four sites close to Maidenhead and Slough.
Further tests, involving real-world customers, will follow later in the year, Three said.
"With every major upgrade like this smartphone and tablet customers will find they can enjoy their devices more in more places across the UK," Three chief David Dyson said in a statement. "Our ability to provide all-you-can-eat data packages depends on a combination of smart network management, investment in improved technologies and the spectrum that is the lifeblood of mobile."
At the moment, O2 is trialling 4G LTE (long-term evolution) technology in London, while Everything Everywhere (T-Mobile and Orange) is doing the same in Cornwall. Vodafone has already conducted three LTE trials in the UK, having started in 2009.
None of the operators can launch their UK 4G services until they have bought new spectrum at a much-delayed auction, which is now supposed to take place at the end of 2012. The auction was originally scheduled for September 2008, but real and threatened court actions from some operators — notably O2 and T-Mobile — have repeatedly put the date back.
The legal threats are part of a protracted squabble between the operators over who gets to keep or gain how much spectrum come the auction, a matter that is complicated by the fact that the UK now allows the 'refarming' of 2G voice and SMS spectrum for mobile broadband. Some operators have 2G spectrum that is suitable for refarming — similar to reallocation or repurposing — and some do not.
The intra-industry argument is testing the patience of MPs, culture secretary Jeremy Hunt and the regulator Ofcom, all of whom have called on the operators to get on with it and allow the UK not to fall even further behind other countries in deploying 4G.
A study published in October suggested that the UK is losing out on £730m of potential economic benefits each year, due to its lack of 4G services.
Don’t Wait
When the young Steve Jobs wanted to build something and needed a piece of equipment, he went straight to the source.
“He began by recalling that he had wanted to build a frequency counter when he was twelve, and he was able to look up Bill Hewlett, the founder of HP, in the phone book and call him to get parts.”
Make Your Own Reality
Steve Jobs learned early that when you don’t like how things are in your life or in your world, change them, either through action or sheer force of will.
“As Hoffman later lamented, “The reality distortion field can serve as a spur, but then reality itself hits.” – Joanna Hoffman, part of Apple’s early Macintosh team.
“I didn’t want to be a father, so I wasn’t,” Jobs later said, with only a touch of remorse in his voice.
Control Everything You Can
Steve Jobs was, to a certain degree, a hippie. However, unlike most free spirits of the 1960s-to-1970s love-in era, Jobs was a detail-oriented control freak.
“He wants to control his environment, and he sees the product as an extension of himself.”
Own Your Mistakes
Jobs could be harsh and even thoughtless. Perhaps nowhere was that more in evidence than with his first daughter. Still, as Jobs grew older and began to face mortality, he more readily admitted his mistakes.
“I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of, such as getting my girlfriend pregnant when I was twenty-three and the way I handled that,” Jobs said.”
Know Yourself
While not always aware of how those around him were reacting to his appearance or demeanor, Jobs had no illusions about his own formidable intellectual skills.
“Then a more disconcerting discovery began to dawn on him: He was smarter than his parents.”
Leave the Door Open for the Fantastic
Jobs was a seeker, pursuing spiritual enlightenment and body purification throughout his life. He wasn’t a particularly religious person, but did not dismiss the existence or something beyond our earth-bound realm.
“I think different religions are different doors to the same house. Sometimes I think the house exists, and sometimes I don’t. It’s the great mystery.” — Steve Jobs
Don’t Hold Back
Apple’s founder was famous for his outbursts and sometimes over-emotional responses. In product development, things were often amazing or sh_t.
“He was an enlightened being who was cruel,” she recalled. “That’s a strange combination.”– former girlfriend and mother of Jobs’ first daughter, Chrisann Brennan
Surround Yourself with Brilliance
Whether he was willing to admit it or not, Steve Jobs could not do everything. Yes, he could have a huge impact on every product and marketing campaign, but he also knew that there were others in the world with skills he did not possess. Jobs’ early partnership with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak perfectly illustrated this fact. His early success with Wozniak provided the template for future collaborations.
“After a couple of months he was ready to test it. ‘I typed a few keys on the keyboard and I was shocked! The letters were displayed on the screen.’ It was Sunday, June 29, 1975, a milestone for the personal computer. “It was the first time in history,” Wozniak later said, “anyone had typed a character on a keyboard and seen it show up on their own computer’s screen right in front of them.”
Build a Team of A Players
Far too often, companies and managers settle for average employees. Steve Jobs recognized talent and decided that any conflict that might arise from a company full of “A”-level players would be counterbalanced by awesome output. He may have been right.
“For most things in life, the range between best and average is 30% or so. The best airplane flight, the best meal, they may be 30% better than your average one. What I saw with Woz was somebody who was fifty times better than the average engineer. He could have meetings in his head. The Mac team was an attempt to build a whole team like that, A players. People said they wouldn’t get along, they’d hate working with each other. But I realized that A players like to work with A players, they just didn’t like working with C players.”– Steve Jobs
“I’ve learned over the years that when you have really good people you don’t have to baby them,” Jobs later explained. “By expecting them to do great things, you can get them to do great things.”
Be Yourself
Steve Jobs was often so busy being himself that he had no idea how people saw him, especially in his early, dirty-hippie days.
“At meetings we had to look at his dirty feet. Sometimes, to relieve stress, he would soak his feet in the toilet, a practice that was not as soothing for his colleagues.”—Mike Markkula, Apple’s first chairman.
Be Persuasive
While it’s true that early Steve Jobs was a somewhat smelly and unpleasant person to be around, this same Steve Jobs also trained himself to stare without blinking for long periods of time and found that he could persuade people to do the seemingly impossible.
“If it could save a person’s life, would you find a way to shave ten seconds off the boot time?” he asked. Kenyon allowed that he probably could. Jobs went to a whiteboard and showed that if there were five million people using the Mac, and it took ten seconds extra to turn it on every day, that added up to three hundred million or so hours per year that people would save, which was the equivalent of at least one hundred lifetimes saved per year.”
Show Others the Way
Jobs wasn’t truly a programmer or technologist, certainly not in the way that Microsoft founder Bill Gates is, yet he had an intuitive understanding for technology and design that ended up altering the world’s expectations for computers and, more importantly, consumer electronics.
“To be honest, we didn’t know what it meant for a computer to be ‘friendly’ until Steve told us.” — Terry Oyama, part of the early Macintosh design team.
Trust Your Instincts
I have, in my own career, navigated by gut on more than one occasion. Steve Jobs, though, had a deep and abiding belief in his own tastes and believed with utter certainty that if he liked something, the public would as well. He was almost invariably right.
“Did Alexander Graham Bell do any market research before he invented the telephone?” — Steve Jobs
Take Risks
Throughout his career, Steve Jobs took chances, first with the launch of Apple, then in walking away from it and then returning in 1997. In an era when most companies were figuring out ways to diversify, Apple — under Job’s leadership — shed businesses and products, and focused on relatively few areas. He was also willing to steer the entire Apple ship (or at least some aspects of it) in a single direction if he thought it would generate future success.
“One of Jobs’ management philosophies was that it is crucial, every now and then, to roll the dice and ‘bet the company’ on some new idea or technology.”
“I had this crazy idea that we could sell just as many Macs by advertising the iPod. In addition, the iPod would position Apple as evoking innovation and youth. So I moved $75 million of advertising money to the iPod, even though the category didn’t justify one hundredth of that. That meant that we completely dominated the market for music players. We outspent everybody by a factor of about a hundred.” — Steve Jobs.
Follow Great with Great
In everything from products to movies (under Pixar), Steve Jobs sought to create great follow-ups. He wasn’t so successful in the early part of his career (see Lisa), but his third acts to Pixar and Apple proved he had the sequel touch.
“There’s a classic thing in business, which is the second-product syndrome,” Jobs later said. It comes from not understanding what made your first product so successful. “I lived through that at Apple. My feeling was, if we got through our second film, we’d make it.”
Make Tough Decisions
Good managers and leaders are willing to do hard work and, often, make unpopular decisions. Jobs apparently had little concern about being liked and therefore was well-equipped to make tough choices.
“The most visible decision he made was to kill, once and for all, the Newton, the personal digital assistant with the almost-good handwriting-recognition system.”
Presentation Can Make a World of Difference
The Apple founder hated PowerPoint presentations, but perhaps somewhat uncharacteristically, believed elegant product presentation was critical.
“Packaging can be theater, it can create a story.” — Jony Ive, Apple designer.
Find a Way to Balance Your Intensity
It’s unclear if Steve Jobs ever truly mellowed, but he did learn that a buffer between him and the rest of Apple could be useful.
“In a company that was led by a CEO prone to tantrums and withering blasts, Cook commanded situations with a calm demeanor, a soothing Alabama accent, and silent stares.”
Live for Today
Even as Steve Jobs struggled with cancer, he rarely slowed down. If anything, the disease helped him focus his efforts and pursue some of his grandest dreams.
“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life.” — Steve Jobs
“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” — Steve Jobs
Share Your Wisdom
Steve Jobs was not a philanthropic soul. He had a passion for products and success, but it wasn’t until he became quite ill that he started reaching out and offering his wisdom to others in the tech community.
“I will continue to do that with people like Mark Zuckerberg too. That’s how I’m going to spend part of the time I have left. I can help the next generation remember the lineage of great companies here and how to continue the tradition. The Valley has been very supportive of me. I should do my best to repay.” — Steve Jobs
search algorithm will allow users to rate search results or even websites, and have user ‘likes’ factored into ranking algorithms.” Take that, Nostradamus!
