New York – Text-messaging has long been a big-time profit generator for US mobile operators, but they now risk losing these profits as consumers find cheaper ways to communicate.

SMS – short message service – is no longer all the rage, but it still generates an estimated 12 percent of service revenue for US operators.

Now, with many consumers turning to low-cost alternatives like iMessenger, BlackBerry Messenger and Facebook’s mobile messaging service, operators like Verizon Wireless, AT&T and Sprint Nextel risk losing a steady, superbly profitable source of income.

Customers using the new crop of messaging services must still pay for mobile Internet access, but the cost per message is much smaller than a monthly SMS service plan or per text charges, particularly as US carriers charge both the recipient and sender.

US operators still carry a lot of text messages on their networks, but they are seeing warning signs ahead.

“I do expect SMS to be under attack,” Verizon Chief Executive Lowell McAdam told the audience at an investor conference in December, noting that some European carriers have already seen texting alternatives hurt their financials.

In particular Dutch operator KPN blamed the messaging services of social networks such as Facebook and Twitter for a dramatic drop in text messaging revenue in 2011.

In South Korea one alternative service, Kakaotalk, now handles 30 billion messages a month, eating into traditional texting traffic at the country’s three mobile network carriers including SK Telecom.

“Every major wireless operator is seeing some substitution for text messaging,” said Mark Lowenstein, the head of wireless consulting firm Mobile Ecosystem.

Craig Moffett, an analyst for Sanford Bernstein, said carriers have a huge cause for concern as he described text messaging as “the most profitable service known to man.” – Reuters

Source: http://www.iol.co.za/scitech/technology/telecoms/smsing-is-so-last-season-1.1209150

The launch of a major new version of Twitter’s service signals one important thing: Jack Dorsey is back. And Jack is in charge.

His strength has always been in the “product” and up until now, there’s been an obvious void at Twitter.

In many ways, it was trying to do everything for everyone — Evan Williams’ strength was never in product (think “lists”), and temporary boss Dick Costolo was never going to be a visionary when it came to the platform.

1. Consistency

New New Twitter finally delivers a consistent experience across all platforms: web, mobile, apps. The service has always been disjointed. The web site was heading in one direction, a very liberal API meant a highly fragmented ecosystem of third-party apps, and mobile was very much an after-thought (until fairly recently). The acquisition of Tweetie, which meant it had an “official” app for Mac and iPhone, solved one problem but created another: Tweetie wasn’t exactly anything like website — they didn’t quite “belong” together. Dorsey’s influence in the product is obvious, and there’s been deliberate thought given to each element of the experience. There are rough edges — of course there’d be — but these will be fixed.

2. Identity

Folksy Twitter handles, which in the early days were the main element of a user’s identity, are far more de-emphasised in New New Twitter. Twitter now says “Retweeted by Hilton Tarrant” or “In reply to Hilton Tarrant”, regardless of my handle. This move sets Twitter up in direct opposition to Facebook and Google as a store of your online identity (something I’d argue is overdue and it needs to be). Why else would it redesign profile pages so prominently around the concept of identity? (It also means picking a handle is far less important; growth means unwieldy usernames like @DavidJones96_UK are becoming more common.)

3. Mainstream (or “ungeeking”)

By elevating the @ and # to two of the main tabs on the new platform, Twitter is trying to take rather obscure and geeky elements of the original service into the mainstream (despite the symbols). @ means simply “Connect”. # equals “Discover”. This is far simpler to understand and provides a more obvious home for each of these activities. You could see Twitter heading in this direction with the “Activity” tab, which it piloted recently (why were @ replies, retweets and follows separate streams in the first place?).

4. Monetisation

“Discover” is the key to making money. The infamous “Dickbar” that Costolo launched to “surface” content (and paid-for keywords/tweets/ads) never had a natural home on the top of your timeline. The # tab provides a natural home and the algorithms that help surface relevant content for you will become key to monetisation. The more Twitter knows about your interests (and who you’re following), the better it monetises. For advertisers, the new “brand pages” finally provide brands with a natural home on the service, instead of seeing that traffic sent off to Facebook.

5. Twitter everywhere

Allowing users to embed a tweet like they do with a YouTube video is an attempt at extending Twitter platform beyond just its properties (and third-party apps). Coherency on the different platforms (web, mobile, apps) is a big step to try take it into the mainstream. Expect some restrictions on what third-party apps can and can’t do in future. Growing Twitter beyond its current (limited) audience gives it the shot at monetisation it needs. It desperately needs to turn into a business (especially since it’s raisedover US$1-billion in venture capital funding to date!)

6. Culling the clutter

Lists and DMs (direct messages) have been folded into (/hidden in) the “Me” menu. You shouldn’t expect lists to stick around for much longer — you could argue they were never all that useful to begin with! The de-emphasis of DMs has caused a backlash online, but only really among the early adopters (who are probably the only ones using the feature). What is interesting to consider is Facebook’s push to private messaging (with the unified chat/e-mail/notifications inbox) versus Twitter’s push to (almost completely) public messaging.

This is not the end product, rather the start of Dorsey and Costolo’s vision of where Twitter is going. Expect a big push around monetisation in 2012.

Source: http://mybroadband.co.za/news/internet/39709-six-ways-the-new-new-twitter-changes-everything.html

Facebook on Thursday began transforming profile pages into interactive digital scrapbooks that let members of the world’s leading online social network tell the stories of their lives.

The “Timeline” feature being rolled out by Facebook was unveiled at a developers conference in September and comes with new ways for people to discover and share music, movies, books and news.

“Timeline gives you an easy way to rediscover the things you shared, and collect your most important moments,” Facebook said in a blog post announcing that the change is now available to its more than 800 million members.

“It also lets you share new experiences, like the music you listen to or the miles you run.”

Timeline visually graphs Facebook posts based on when they were uploaded, letting people look back at pictures from special events, memorialized accomplishments, pithy text exchanges and other updates from their lives.

After upgrading to Timeline, people will have seven days to privately review and edit how it will be viewable by friends at the social network before it automatically goes live online.

“Your new timeline will replace your profile, but all your stories and photos will still be there,” Facebook said.

Tools allow Facebook users to hide posts they do not want included in their Timeline or change settings regarding which of their friends or associates can see posts.

Facebook also tailored a version of Timeline for use on smartphones or tablet computers powered by Google’s Android software.

“Mobile timeline starts with your unique cover photo,” Facebook’s Mick Johnson said in a blog post. “As you scroll down, you’ll see your posts, photos and life events as they happened, back to the day you were born.”

Unveiling Timeline in September, Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg described it as “the story of your life.”

He demonstrated by showing how his new profile page chronicled his experiences from meeting US President Barack Obama to baby photos.

“What Timeline does is show all the recent activity and then as you go back in time it starts summarizing the things you’ve done in your life,” he said.

The changes come with a new class of Facebook applications that let people automatically allow chosen friends to see what they do or experience without needing to click “Like” or “Share” buttons.

Online music service Spotify, for example, will let Facebook users see what friends are listening to at any given moment and then listen along by clicking on a post.

The same principle will apply to computer or mobile gadget applications for digital books, news and films.

People will need to install third party applications to share snippets in Timeline profile pages, which will feature privacy controls. Applications will also require people to set data sharing “permissions” before they are used.

Partners ready with “open graph” applications include online streaming video services Netflix and Hulu. Applications are also available to deliver and share news stories from sources including Yahoo! and News Corp.’s The Daily.

Facebook’s transformation is likely to trigger backlash from ranks of notoriously change-averse users and to resurrect concerns over how effectively the social network protects people’s privacy.

Facebook said it has worked with privacy groups while developing Timeline and that it has made it simple and clear to control what information gets shared and with whom.

Source: http://mybroadband.co.za/news/internet/39995-facebook-timeline-feature-rolled-out-to-all-users.html

London – Facebook has admitted that it monitors every single web page its members visit – even when they have logged out.

In its latest privacy blunder, the social networking site was forced to confirm that it constantly tracks its 750 million users, even when they are using other sites.

Most would assume that Facebook stops monitoring them after they leave, but technology bloggers have discovered this is not the case.

In fact, data is regularly sent back to the social network’s servers – helping Facebook make billions of pounds each year from advertising, as such information is highly valuable.

The website’s practices were exposed by Australian technology blogger Nik Cubrilovic and have provoked a furious response across the internet.

Mr Cubrilovic found that when you sign up to Facebook it automatically puts files known as “cookies” on your computer which monitor your browsing history.

Some cookies remain on your computer after you log out, and report back when you visit a site connected to Facebook. This covers millions of websites and refers to anything with a Facebook “like” or “recommend” button on it.

Mr Cubrilovic said: “The only solution is to delete every Facebook cookie in your browser. This is not what ‘log out’ is supposed to mean.” – Daily Mail

Source: http://www.iol.co.za/scitech/technology/internet/facebook-is-watching-you-1.1146303

SouthTel have pushed back the launch of its video on-demand (VOD) service, which was originally slated for commercial availability during September 2011.

Earlier in 2011, SouthTel announced its “Push VOD:TV” product, saying that it would be trialled during August and launched in September 2011, around two months after MultiChoice launched its on-demand service, called DStv BoxOffice.

According to SouthTel’s website, Push VOD:TV will offer new release movies, classics, hit TV series, personalised music play-list, and educational programmes in mostly high definition (HD) format.

This will be through their personal video recorder (PVR) or as a hosted solution to mobile providers. SouthTel has entered into an agreement with MTN to trial video on-demand services nationally.

Users will be able to place orders via the web, SMS, or iPhone, SouthTel said, listing a number of payment options: monthly subscription, online transaction directly from an Internet-connected PVR, or an offline transaction via SMS or mobile Internet. Billing methods will include mechanisms such as credit card, PayPal, or a monthy bill sent to subscribers.

The service will function similarly to DStv BoxOffice, which sends content to a PVR in spare capacity overnight, with old content being removed weekly to make space for newer programmes.

Oscar Dube, CEO of SouthTel, said that they have delayed the launch of Push VOD:TV until Q4 (October-December 2011).

He said that they “just want to make sure our product is functioning 100%” before making it commercially available.

Source: http://mybroadband.co.za/news/broadcasting/32926-southtel-push-vodtv-launch-delayed.html

A new search-engine study has identified Microsoft’s Bing as more effective than Google judging by the number of results users actually click on.

The study, by web tracking firm Experian Hitwise found that some 80 per cent of Bing searches led to a visit to one of the web sites identified in the results, compared to just 67 per cent of Google searches.

The study said that the relatively high percentage of searches that did not result in a visit to a website indicated that both the leading search engines had significant opportunities to improve their results.

The study found that Google’s share of the US search market dropped 2 per cent in July to 66.05 per cent as Bing-powered searches increased by 1 per cent to 28.05 per cent.

Yahoo, which uses Bing for all searches on Yahoo sites, increased its market share by 4 per cent to 15 per cent, while searches on bing.com itself dropped 2 per cent to 13 per cent.

Source: http://mybroadband.co.za/news/internet/31540-search-engine-study-says-bing-better-than-google.html

London -  Some of the text messages read like real-time rallying calls for rioters.

“If you’re down for making money, we’re about to go hard in east London,” one looter messaged before the violence spread.

Others direct troublemakers to areas of untapped riches – stores selling expensive stereo equipment, designer clothes, alcohol and bicycles.

Most show a portent of even worse things to come.

Encrypted messages sent via BlackBerrys are being used by mobs to encourage rioting across Britain – mayhem born of an incendiary mixture of conditions that converged during Europe’s sleepy summer vacation season.

Many of the masked or hooded youths have been photographed typing messages on their mobile phones while flames engulf cars and buildings.

Conditions have been perfect for the unrest. Britain’s economic outlook is bleak, youths are out of school and unemployed, police ranks have been depleted by summer vacations, and social media sites – coupled with dramatic video of the rioting – have bolstered a mob mentality and spread disobedience.

Alcohol has also played a part. Some of Tuesday night’s rioters bragged of booze-fuelled rampages.

Britain has a culture of binge drinking with a recent surge in alcohol-related diseases among the young. The legal age to purchase alcohol in Britain is 18.

Encouraging violence

BlackBerry’s messaging system is popular among youths because it’s free, compatible with multimedia and private, compared with Facebook and Twitter.

Its encrypted messages give troublemakers an added benefit: Police aren’t able to immediately trace message traffic the way they can with regular cellphones.

Social media have been a potent force in fuelling the riots that began on Saturday in London’s boroughs and later spread to other cities such as Birmingham, Liverpool, Leeds and Bristol.

Messages have also been sent via regular texts and on Facebook.

One 18-year-old boy was detained on Tuesday for allegedly encouraging violence on Facebook.

Community members alerted police to the posts, according to police superintendent Athol Aitken. The teenager is expected in Dundee court on Wednesday.

Fearful residents

But the social networks also have provided refuge for fearful residents and shop owners who say police efforts have been feeble and slow.

Twitter is helping to pinpoint areas of violence, organise community cleanup groups and alert people of alternative routes they can use.

BlackBerry said it was co-operating with police, but shutting down the messaging system could penalise more than just the troublemakers.

More than 45 million people use the BlackBerry messaging system worldwide.

US president Barack Obama is said to use the same secure system to communicate.

“We feel for those impacted by recent days’ riots in London,” Patrick Spence, a BlackBerry managing director of global sales and regional marketing, said in a statement.

“We have engaged with the authorities to assist in any way we can.”

The company declined to answer further questions about providing data to police or how a message service suspension might work.

David Lammy, a lawmaker from the Tottenham area where the rioting began, called for BlackBerry to suspend its messaging service.

On Tuesday, hackers compromised BlackBerry’s blog site in response to the company saying it would co-operate with police.

Smash up the place

Britain’s riots began after last week’s police shooting of Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old father of four. According to British media, one of the last messages that Duggan sent was via BlackBerry’s messaging system, also known as BBM.

“The Feds are following me,” he allegedly wrote to his girlfriend, according to The Daily Telegraph.

Some of the rioters have laughed off claims that the unrest was sparked by any one grievance. One man who identified himself only as “Zed” said the riots were “just an excuse for everyone to smash up the place” and that stuff “tastes better when it’s free”.

Britain is full of contrasts between the haves and have-nots, where areas of soot-stained apartment buildings are a stone’s throw from Buckingham Palace.

It is also a place where the class system is imprinted on the country’s social fabric, seen clearly in the political and business elite.

“You have groups who are highly technically integrated but socially completely outclassed and alienated,” said Rodney Barker, emeritus professor of government at the London School of Economics.

Prime Minister David Cameron, known for his posh accent and privileged education, is thought to have lost votes in last year’s election because he was seen as too much of an elitist who couldn’t understand the common man.

The past year has seen mass protests against the tripling of student tuition fees and cuts to public sector pensions. In November, December and March, small groups broke away from large marches in London to loot.

In the most notorious episode, rioters attacked a Rolls-Royce carrying Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, to a charity concert.

“This is an uprising of all people – black, white, gay, straight,” said a man who identified himself as Bryn Phillips, 28, who picked through the ruins of a convenience store in east London on Monday night.

According to July figures from Britain’s Office of National Statistics, one in five 16- to 24-year-olds is unemployed – the highest rate of youth unemployment in some 20 years. Overall unemployment rates, however, have remained stable.

“These young people, who seem to have no stake in society, are trashing their own communities,” said lawmaker Diane Abbott, whose Hackney North and Stoke Newington constituency has seen a lot of the trouble.

“We cannot continue to have increasing numbers of looters on the streets night after night.”

Traumatised

Hot-tempered youths are fuelled by temperate and drier-than-normal weather.

One middle-aged man carrying a recycling bin full of beer bottles and soft drinks on Monday night blamed the government’s planned spending cuts – some of the harshest cuts since World War II designed to slash Britain’s multibillion-pound deficit.

“People are traumatised by the cuts,” he said, identifying himself only as Joe.

Cameron condemned the violence and warned that 16 000 police officers would take back the country’s streets. More BlackBerry messages were encouraging weekend protests.

“This is definitely not the 1980s,” said London School of Economics political scientist Tony Travers, referring to past race riots and other unrest.

“And it is not the same as the instance that occasionally happened in French suburbs. Tottenham and other areas are relatively poor (but) they are not areas of unremitting poverty.”

Britain’s police force has been weakened by budget cuts and summer vacations. It’s also no secret that most officers don’t carry guns, and water cannons and tear gas haven’t been used in years.

Officials said they may be forced to use plastic bullets to control the crowds if violence persists.

“Different people have different views about the causes, but there is no excuses for it,” said Labour leader Ed Miliband.

 

London – The received wisdom may be that it makes you reclusive and isolated, but the internet can actually make us more social, research suggests.

We are brought closer together as it is easier to “maintain contact” online and make plans to meet in the real world, according to a paper by three influential economists.

They found that once adults had access to broadband, their attendance at theatres, cinemas, bars or restaurants increased. Broadband access at home also increased children’s out-of-school activities.

They write: “At least in some areas of social engagement, the main function of the internet seems one of active information and communication.”

The study by Stefan Bauernschuster, Oliver Falck and Ludger Woessmann will be presented at a gathering of Nobel prize-winners this month. – Daily Mail

Source: http://www.iol.co.za/scitech/technology/internet/internet-makes-us-more-social-study-1.1113798

San Francisco – Google’s latest deal is aimed at helping people find the best daily deals on the Web.

The Internet search leader bought Dealmap, a 15-month-old startup that compiles discount offers from local merchants scattered in markets across the nation.

The financial terms of the acquisition announced on Tuesday weren’t disclosed.

Google bought Dealmap just a few weeks after starting its own daily deal service to compete with Groupon and LivingSocial, the early leaders in one of the Internet’s fastest growing advertising niches. Google’s version, called Offers, currently distributes daily deals in New York, the San Francisco Bay area and Portland, Oregon.

Dealmap, based in Menlo Park, California, has built a database that lists deals from more than 450 different sources. It says it has more than 2 million users. – Sapa-AP

Source: http://www.iol.co.za/scitech/technology/business/google-to-take-on-groupon-1.1111444

Voice Calls from Gmail, a feature previously only available to Google’s user base in the United States of America, is rolling out in 38 new languages to countries all over the world, a post syndicated on various official Google blogs revealed yesterday (2 August 2011).

Julie Taylor, spokesperson for Google Sub-Saharan Africa, has confirmed that the feature is rolling out in South Africa, but is still not available in all countries. “We will continue to work on expanding the availability of this feature but do not have any timeline available,” Taylor said.

Pierre Lebeau, product manager at Google, also wrote in the blog post announcing the expansion of the service that it is available in 38 new languages. They have also reduced their call rates to over 150 destinations, Lebeau wrote.

We were able to test the service at MyBroadband. After loading credit onto a Google Voice account we were able to call a South African cellphone at $0.17 (around R1.15) per minute.

According to Google, you can buy calling credit in Euros, British pounds, Canadian dollars and U.S. dollars.

The ability to get your own Google Voice number still doesn’t seem to be available, which means that the feature is currently limited to within the Gmail web client.

Source: http://mybroadband.co.za/news/telecoms/30858-google-voice-in-sa-phone-calls-from-gmail.html