garytouet

It was not the first time a Windows Phone got smoked by an Android phone, but this time Microsoft was a poor loser.

That’s a shame when your marketing campaign invites users to challenge your staff in what you would expect to be a fair comeptition.

Note that the game was crooked right from the beginning when Microsoft’s staff made sure Sahas hadn’t pre-loaded any app. Guess who did pre-load two weather widgets precisely set up for two different locations?

Update: Microsoft quickly replied inviting Sahas for a rematch. Fair enough…

@sahaskatta @skattertech @mattlynley @joshuatopolsky Just saw this.Sorry about the hassle...come back for a rematch on a random challenge!

— Ben Rudolph (@BenThePCGuy) March 26, 2012

Skinner is teasing his upcoming book again with the Guardian. This time it’s with a book-reading video.

If how sound is recorded during televised sporting events interested you, you’ll love to know more sound design for video games.

After eight months of development, Dutch mechanical engineer Jarno Smeets flapped his self-made wings and flew 100 meters.

I’m speechless. I hope this is true.

Also, from Apple’s press release:

Additionally, the Company’s Board of Directors has authorized a $10 billion share repurchase program commencing in the Company’s fiscal 2013, which begins on September 30, 2012. The repurchase program is expected to be executed over three years, with the primary objective of neutralizing the impact of dilution from future employee equity grants and employee stock purchase programs. […] “Combining dividends, share repurchases, and cash used to net-share-settle vesting RSUs, we anticipate utilizing approximately $45 billion of domestic cash in the first three years of our programs,” said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple’s CFO. “We are extremely confident in our future and see tremendous opportunities ahead.”

Dividends + share repurchase = certain gain in the near future for shareholders. The share price rockets.

Time to buy, now.

Just before the conference call, Apple issued a press release. Techcrunch notes:

Apple plans to pay shareholders a dividend of $2.65 per share sometime in Q4 2012, which for Apple begins this July. In case you were wondering, the last time Apple paid dividends was in 1995 — shareholders got a whopping $0.12 per share.

Decca Aitkenhead, from The Guardian, met Mike Skinner and summed up the interview in a worth-reading article. She also read Skinner’s memoir ant it is promising.

Until recently I would have advised anyone interested in the psychology of pop stardom to read Feel, Chris Heath's biography of Robbie Williams, even if they couldn't care less about the singer himself. I would now say that they need to read The Story of the Streets – even if they have no interest in Mike Skinner. For that matter, you could have little interest in popular music either, and should probably still read his memoir. It is cleverer, funnier, more illuminating and beautifully written than anything I have read in the longest time.

The Story of the Streets is supposed to be released on the 29th of March, 10 days from now.

It is an euphemism to say that I can’t wait.

Instructive and easy-to-follow radioshow trying to shed the light on Daisey’s story.

(via Daring Fireball)

Short video taken yesterday for the iPad launch on George Street at the Apple Store.

I didn’t go yesterday, but I might go on this rainy afternoon. I want to see the retina display.

Ira Glass, radio host of The American Life, explains in a blog post:

I have difficult news. We've learned that Mike Daisey's story about Apple in China - which we broadcast in January - contained significant fabrications. We're retracting the story because we can’t vouch for its truth. This is not a story we commissioned. It was an excerpt of Mike Daisey's acclaimed one-man show "The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs," in which he talks about visiting a factory in China that makes iPhones and other Apple products. The China correspondent for the public radio show Marketplace tracked down the interpreter that Daisey hired when he visited Shenzhen China. The interpreter disputed much of what Daisey has been saying on stage and on our show. On this week's episode of This American Life, we will devote the entire hour to detailing the errors in "Mr. Daisey Goes to the Apple Factory." Daisey lied to me and to This American Life producer Brian Reed during the fact checking we did on the story, before it was broadcast. That doesn't excuse the fact that we never should've put this on the air. In the end, this was our mistake.

If you are trying to denounce something important, make sure you’re clean. Do not invent to make the story look bad. Worse make sure you really experienced what you claim to have, because, when people find out, they’ll feel betrayed. They probably trusted your story and maybe spread your ideas. How do they look like now? They look like fools.

As a result, your credibility as the source of these ideas will take a serious hit. The cause you were fighting for will lose its value since based on lies.

Good article about the people behind Sparrow, an email client for Mac and iPhone, and their ideas. Dominique Leca, the co-founder and CEO, explains.

A detail strikes me though: Leca’s background.

[…] "To tell you the truth, I didn't know what I wanted to do so I went to business school." Only when prodded further does he reveal that he attended HEC, one of the top business schools in France. […] "I had just done everything I could to get internships in advertising, real estate, and tax law. Maybe being a lawyer could be fun?" After he finished school, Leca found himself at a company building "trash apps" only meant to be used for ten minutes per day by big auto companies — an unfulfilling mission for an imaginative mind. He eventually decided to quit the company, but not without leaving a very prominent mark on the people he worked with. Just two months after Leca left, Dinh Viêt Hoà, one of the firm's most talented engineers, came to him with an idea. […] Leca wanted in.

Very inspiring.

Y Combinator does seed funding. It invest in startups right at the beginning. For the record, it has funded different Internet known-services such as Scribd, Reddit, Disqus, Dropbox, Posterous, Airbnb and around 380 other startups. What makes it interesting is its funding model.

From what I know, other companies will give you the funds against a percentage of your company. You’ll be able to ask for advice on how to conduct your business and you’ll also benefit from their network. You’ll meet other entrepreneurs and experienced businessmen providing you with useful information and possible opportunities.

Now with YC, you’ll move to Silicon Valley for a 3-month program to get you started (name, long-term plan, etc.). YC will teach you how to deal with investors and how to close a deal. Finally, you’ll meet and learn from famous entrepreneurs and be presented to investors for a bigger fundraising round.

Of course, if you are looking for funds or advice it means that you have an idea. However, this may not be necessary anymore:

Y Combinator is trying an experiment this funding cycle. We're going to have a separate application track for groups that don't have an idea yet. So if the only thing holding you back from starting a startup is not having an idea for one, now nothing is holding you back. If you apply for this batch and you seem like you'd make good founders, we'll accept you with no idea and then help you come up with one. (We'll consider single founders too, but we prefer groups.)

The question is: how viable startups coming out of the program are going to be? Are the founders going to be dedicated and committed enough?

I guess, it is worth trying. If successes emerge from the program, YC’s will have proven its expertise at getting funders started.

To apply with no idea, just go to http://news.ycombinator.com/apply-noidea and you'll find an abbreviated application form.

The New York Times reports:

In an acknowledgment of the realities of the digital age — and of competition from the Web site Wikipedia — Encyclopaedia Britannica will focus primarily on its online encyclopedias and educational curriculum for schools. The last print version is the 32-volume 2010 edition, which weighs 129 pounds and includes new entries on global warming and the Human Genome Project.

New business idea: create and sell fake-looking Britannica encyclopedia for people to show off.

Seriously, I am not surprised by the decision. The Internet made this inevitable. However, I had underestimated Wikipedia’s competition.

Sorry Spotify, I’m being unfaithful. But, you’re not available in Australia, so I had to find a replacement.

I’m really happy to see a change in Rdio’s interface to look more like you, iTunes and Spotify with the menu panel on the left. I have not been using Rdio for a long time, but the hassle to easily create playlists has refrained me from spending a lot of time in the app. However, one cool feature is the ‘artist radio’. If you’re familiar with Last.fm, it should ring a bell. It is the ability to listen to a generated playlist mixing the artist and similar ones. Great way to discover new tracks!

Unfortunately, I’m not an unlimited subscriber so I’ll have to wait a bit. If you are one, here is how to try it:

The completely redesigned new Rdio is available on Rdio.com and the Rdio desktop apps to all Web and Unlimited subscribers. Switch on new Rdio from the drop down menu under your name and “Try New Rdio.”

You should read Farhad Manjoo’s post, but the passage I would like to stress is the following. It is about the iPad’s future as an unbeatable product.

The other potential scenario, though, is far less optimistic for Apple’s competitors. It’s the iPod model. In this story, Apple begins by releasing a novel, category-defining product. Then, as rivals scramble for some way to respond, Apple relentlessly puts out slightly better versions every year, each time remaining just out of reach of the competition. Meanwhile it lowers its prices and expands its product lineup, making its devices more accessible to a wider audience. Then, to finish the game, it finds a way to boost its position through network effects and customer lock-in.

It is happening. This is exactly what we are witnessing now. With this week’s announcements about the new iPad, the scenario is close to becoming true. Who is able to release a product at least as good as the iPad for at least the same price?

Path opens up its API to other services. Nike+ is the first one to take advantage of it. The integration is seamless. Once you put your shoes on and start running with Nike+, your friends will see what you’re up to. Probably the best feature that Path could offer is the possibility for your friends to cheer you on while running:

Path’s blog:

The first steps work out the morning stiffness but you start to hit your stride, and soon you’ve reached your route’s first hill. Your legs are beginning an early burn. Then through your earphones comes a welcome sound. It’s your dad, your sister, your best friend––they’re cheering you on. Because this morning, the moment your shoes hit the pavement, they saw you start your run on Path. They’re supporting you each step, from across the city, across the country, across the globe. You sprint the hill. With their help, you make it count.

That’s awesome!

This is an impressive achievement for Square. Their payment system will be introduced in 30 New York cabs in the coming weeks. This could become a stable stream of revenues for Square and more importantly a real-life showcase of their product to a lot of people in the most influential city in the world.

The experience seems way better than the current one and looks great:

The new system, which will be in 30 taxis to start, will allow passengers to swipe their credit card at any point in the ride, before the trip has ended. There is no need to sign pieces of paper either; passengers can sign the screen in the back of the cab with their finger and then have a receipt sent to their phone by e-mail or text message. Instead of the traditional blaring screens, these taxis will be outfitted with Square’s latest hardware — an iPad encased in a black metal sleeve that is connected to a credit card swiper. The screen displays a slick Apple-like design of New York too, showing information about your location, fare and route.

Exciting company to work for, no doubt!

TorrentFreak details how file-sharing is getting organised after the latest SOPA and Megaupload episodes. The biggest concern now for sharers is to build the network with the least vulnerabilities. The goal is ultimately to prevent big corporations and governments to have any sort of control on it.

RetroShare is probably the best attempt:

The RetroShare network allows people to create a private and encrypted file-sharing network. Users add friends by exchanging PGP certificates with people they trust. All the communication is encrypted using OpenSSL and files that are downloaded from strangers always go through a trusted friend. In other words, it’s a true Darknet and virtually impossible to monitor by outsiders.

This is what the entertainment industry should have considered before trying to lock everything down.

When I go for walks, long sitting sessions on the beach or when I feel anxious even about going out and meeting up with my friends, I always feel terrible and guilty.

When I see people managing their time so they can spend the least by themselves, I always wish I could do the same. I very often question my taste for solitude and hope for change, but during a big social event, I always feel overwhelmed by the energy I need to deploy. It always feels like I am running faster than my pace, making an effort and eventually being out of breath. Then, I can’t help but promise my brain a break far from the social overload.

Even if things have improved a little in Sydney, from time to time, it feels good to know that I’m not the only one feeling like this. For that reason if you’re an introvert, Susan Cain’s talk is well worth watching. For the extroverts who do not want to miss out on a good talk about their introvert brothers, that’s also twenty minutes well spent.

On top of the new Timeline for pages, the company also unveiled new products for advertisers at its facebook Marketing Conference. The following is my summary of what I’ve gathered reading about the announcements this morning.

Premium ads

First, …

The Verge:

Starting today, ads bought through "Premium on Facebook" can be displayed in the mobile news feed; advertisers will also have the option to display content on the desktop logout screen starting April. Before, users would only see ads on the sidebar and the desktop news feed.

So Facebook adds two new places for brands to place ads, but…

Techcrunch:

Brands will not be able to actively select which of the 4 placements their ads will appear in. They will see reporting data afterwards on whether ads appeared on the logout page, sidebar, or news feed, but data won’t be broken out separate mobile and web news feed ads.

Reach Generator

On top of this, Facebook also annouced a new product called ‘Reach Generator’. It’s good to create great content on your page, but it’s useless if nobody sees it. Facebook tries to address this problem with ‘Reach Generator’:

InsideFacebook:

Reach Generator allows advertisers to pay Facebook on an ongoing basis, as opposed to a CPC or CPM basis, to sponsor one page post every day, and guarantee a 75 percent reach of the page’s fanbase over a month-long period. The company said that test partners, including Ben & Jerry’s, were able to reach 98 percent of their page’s fans using Reach Generator, a massive increase over the 16 percent of fans that Pages reach without ads or Sponsored Stories.

The selected posts will then be promoted through all the different ad placements.

As Pandodaily reports, this new product is currently only available to big clients. It looks like Facebook would like to limit the spam this could cause.

Pandodaily:

To start, the company is limiting eligibility for Reach Generator by number of fans. They haven’t said what that threshold is, but I can assume it’ll be open to only the most-liked brands to start.

Offers

Finally, Facebook kills ‘Deals’ and give access to a new story type: Offers.

InsideFacebook:

For users, getting offers is frictionless. One click (or tap on mobile) sends the offer to a user’s email account. From there, they can use the voucher at a brick and mortar location or enter a coupon code into an e-commerce site. When users get an offer, a story is available to be shown on Timeline and in their friends’ News Feeds, increasing the viral reach of the promotion.

Unlike Deals, …

InsideFacebook:

Offers will be created directly from the page publisher and do not require approval from Facebook before going live. (…) Creating an offer is free for page owners, just like making any other post. Companies, however, can pay to boost the unit into a Sponsored Story by using the self-serve ad tool, or turn it into a premium homepage ad by working directly with Facebook.

Conclusion

The possibility to advertise in the user’s feed both on the desktop and mobile is probably the biggest news. It is easy to compare it with Twitter’s recent move:

AllThingsD:

(…) they’re both doing the same thing: They’re selling brands access to the primary stream of content that both companies serve up to their users. And they’ll let them do it on mobile phones, too.

Probably what advertisers have been dreaming for, but not what users have been asking for.