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U.S. Videogame Sales Continues to Falter

2013-05-24T08:50:00.000+08:00

The videogame industry in the U.S. seems to be taking a nosedive after nosedive this year. For the month of April, videogame hardware, software and accessory sales in retail stores fell 25 percent to US$ 495.2 million, from US$ 657.5 million a year earlier, according to NPD Group, an industry researcher.

Some analysts put the blame on the Easter holiday, which typically falls in either March or April. However, the March sales figure was also not better.

Liam Callahan, an analyst at NPD, said total spending still only represented about half of all consumer videogame purchases, with the rest coming from rentals and sales of used games, which tallied about US$ 76 million, and sales over the Internet, such as subscriptions, which totalled US$ 267 million. NPD doesn't publicly break those numbers out with as fine detail on a monthly basis as it does the rest of the industry, nor does it release comparative data.

Software sales, which have suffered amid a dearth of exciting new titles, had the smallest contraction amid the different industry segments, falling 17 percent to US$ 267.8 million from US$ 323.3 million. NPD said the top-selling game was Warner Bros. Interactive's "Injustice: Gods Among Us," a fighting game pitting comic book super heroes, such as Superman or Batman, against one another. NPD said Injustice marked the first time in two years that a fighting game had been the top-selling title.

Deep Silver's apocalyptic zombie shooting game, "Dead Island: Riptide," was the second best-selling game, followed by Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.'s TTWO - critically acclaimed "BioShock Infinite" historical science fiction shooting game.

Videogame consoles, meanwhile, fared far worse. NPD said hardware sales plunged 42 percent to US$ 109.5 million from US$ 187.8 million. Microsoft's Xbox 360 was the top selling console again, NPD said, marking its 21st month in the top spot.

Game accessories, such as companion toys and gift cards that can be used to buy extra levels or expanded storylines for games from over the Internet, fell 19 percent to US$ 131.4 million from US$ 162.5 million.

Whatever the reason for the slow sales, one thing is certain. Veteran and new gamers are going to seat out much of this year and wait for the new hardware from both Microsoft Corp. and Sony Corp, which is expected during the Christmas Holidays.

Facebook A Year After IPO

2013-05-20T14:14:00.000+08:00

Last year, there was much hype on the entry of Facebook into the stock market. Unfortunately, the hype ended in a disappointment with the popular social network’s share still falling behind the level of their initial public offering (IPO).

According to Juliette Garside of The Guardian, shares of the website were still trading 70 percent below their opening price of US$38 last 17 May 2013. Despite the setback, Facebook found other ways to make some unprecedented progress.

Last October 2012, founder Mark Zuckerberg announced publicly that the social media site had crossed the one billion monthly active user threshold. Furthermore, according to research firm eMarketer, the business is set to make US$ 6.6 billion in 2013 – an increase of US$ 1.5 billion from last year.

During the most first quarter of 2013, Facebook's net income rose seven percent to US$ 219 million versus the same quarter in 2012, and revenue jumped 38 percent to US$ 1.46 billion (source: AP Technology Writer Barbara Ortutay). In terms of users, the site now has 665 million individuals posting, sharing photos, and playing games each day.

"Much has changed at Facebook in a year," Ortutay said. "The company's executives and engineers have quietly addressed the very doubts that dogged the company for so long. Facebook began showing mobile advertisements for the first time last spring. It launched a search feature in January and unveiled a branded Facebook smartphone in April. The company also introduced ways for advertisers to gauge the effectiveness of their ads."

The next step for Facebook, according to the AP, is to try and convince big businesses that advertising on a social network can be every bit as effective as running a television commercial. In order to achieve this goal, Zuckerberg’s firm has developed a new set of tools designed to help advertisers reach a more specific target audience than they can through TV or in print – connecting with consumers of certain ages and with certain interests.

"Analytic tools like these weren’t available a year ago," Ortutay explained. "But last fall Facebook hired several companies that collect and analyze data related to people’s online and offline behavior. Facebook’s advertisers can now assess whether a Crest ad you saw on Facebook likely led you to buy of a tube of toothpaste in the drugstore. The services take what Facebook knows about you and what ads you saw and combine this with the information retailers have about you and what you’ve purchased through loyalty cards and the like."

"What we can see conclusively a year after the IPO is that ads on Facebook really do help drive people into the store and help them make purchasing decisions, help influence their purchasing decisions," added Sean Bruich, the website's head of measurement platforms and standards.

Internet Ad Revenue Grows

2013-04-26T09:04:00.000+08:00

For bloggers who are thinking of quitting and try their luck somewhere because they think the industry they operate on is shrinking, I say just hold for awhile. Advertising on the net and in blogs is not a declining. In fact, the reverse is happening.

A report from the Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers showed U.S. Internet advertising revenue grew 15 percent to a record US$ 36.6 billion in 2012, with mobile ad revenue growing faster than other types.

The report also stated that mobile ad revenue more than doubled from the previous year to US$ 3.4 billion. It accounted for 9 percent of total Internet ad revenue in 2012. In 2011, the US$ 1.6 billion in mobile ad revenue made up 5 percent of the total. Mobile ads represent an area of growth for many companies, including Google Inc. and Facebook Inc. Facebook started showing mbile ads last year.

Research firm eMarketer, which includes more types of mobile ads in its calculations, expects U.S. mobile ad spending to grow 77 percent in 2013 to US$ 7.29 billion from US$ 4.11 billion last year.

Search ads, where Google dominates, still account for nearly half of all online advertising revenue, at US$ 16.9 billion in 2012, according to the report.

The IAB, which represents media and technology companies, releases online advertising revenue numbers each quarter. Management consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers compiles the data based on information from companies that sell advertising on the Internet.

Brian Wieser, analyst at Pivotal Research Group, called the online advertising growth rate "solid" at 15 percent, but noted that "we can clearly see that if we strip out growth from Google and Facebook, the rest of online advertising likely grew by 3.8 (percent)."

"Man of Steel" Trailer

2013-04-22T09:20:00.000+08:00

I just saw the latest sneak peek on the upcoming Superman reboot, "Man of Steel", directed by Zack Snyder and it shows a lot of exciting promises.

Aside from trying to present a deeper look at the man behind the tights-wearing hero in action, the film appears to try to correct the misconception that the trademark "S" in the chest means Superman. I may be mistaken on this, but from what I saw Kal-El adopted the symbol "S" from his home planet Krypton as a symbol of hope. But whatever it represents, it still looks "S" to me.

The cast is also full of heavy-weight actors that include Russell Crowe as Superman's biological pop and Kevin Costner as his adoptive father. The footage also showed a compelling glimpse of Michael Shannon's General Zod, who appeared very eager to take on the "Man of Steel."

Snyder, who previously oversaw "300" and "The Watchmen," said he was initially trepidatious about taking on the Superman legend. Not because he thought Clark Kent's alter-ego was retrograde or stale, but because he worried he couldn't do the character justice.

"I wasn't sure I had something poignant to say," Snyder said at the annual exhibition trade show in Las Vegas. He said that meeting with producer Christopher Nolan and reading the story "The Dark Knight" director had cooked up with David S. Goyer ("Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance") convinced him that there were unexplored cinematic depths to the Superman myth.

"He is the greatest superhero," Snyder said. "There's no competition between superheroes, but if there was, he'd win."

Snyder said that he made the film, because he was convinced the story was ideal for the big screen, even though he confessed he knew it would also be seen "on iPads, iPods and iWhatevers."

"We made a big movie," he assured theater owners.

It's a message that played well in a room where exhibitors are already worried that the threat from digital entertainment represents an existential challenge to their livelihoods.

Starring Henry Cavill as Superman and Amy Adams as Lois Lane, "Man of Steel" flies into theaters on 14 June 2013.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Doing Well

2013-04-18T13:01:00.001+08:00

If you think that Samsung Electronics Co will just let Apple dominate the phone market with their 1Phone, guess again. The Korean company reported that the new Galaxy S4 phone is doing fairly well in the market.

In an outright call for a challenge, the latest flagship phone has a bigger display and new features such as gesture controls compare to iPhone 5.

Other enhancements are found on the software layer, including:

Smart Pause and Smart Scroll: based on the Smart Stay technology from the Galaxy S3, these two new features identifies and monitors eye movement and activates functions accordingly. Smart Pause will momentarily stop playing video when the user’s gaze moves away from the device, while Smart Scroll will move the page up or down when the user’s gaze reaches the bottom or top of the screen.
Air View and Air Gesture: this software feature is powered by the IR gesture sensor that’s fitted with the new Galaxy S4. Air View allows you to hover your finger over content to display specific details about it, like opening an email or text message. Air Gesture, on the other hand, allows you to give swiping directions without even touching the phone.
Group Play: Group Play will allow you to play music to up to 8 Galaxy S4 devices even without Internet connection.
S Voice Drive: an improvement to the S Voice personal assistant introduced with the Galaxy S3, S Voice Drive aids in controlling the phone while driving by allowing to send and receive emails and text messages, as well as take and make calls, just by using voice commands.
Dual Camera: Samsung has now made it so that certain applications, such as camera and video calling apps, can use both the front- and rear-facing camera at once.
S Translator: This feature will allow live text-to-speech and speech-to-text translation of up to 8 languages using only the user’s voice input.

The Galaxy S4 will be available with more than 300 mobile operators in 155 countries by the end of April. Philippine availability has yet to be determined but price is expected to be between PhP 35,000 to PhP 40,000. It will also come in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB variants, and will feature 3G and 4G-LTE connectivity options depending on carrier compatibility.

Temple Run Soon on Windows Phone 8

2013-04-11T17:00:00.000+08:00

Smartphone gamers who were used to using Microsoft Windows Phone 8 would be glad to know that they can now play the addictive mega-hit: Temple Run.

Microsoft's Michael Stroh posted in his blog that Windows Phone 8 devices are now the latest home of the addictive game where players "turn, jump and slide" to getting hidden treasure. If this information is correct, then Smartphone gamers will now have a chance to steal the cursed idol from the temple, and run for their life to escape the Evil Demon Monkeys nipping at their heels.

Temple Run allows its users to test their reflexes as they race down ancient temple walls and along sheer cliffs. Gamers need to swipe to turn, jump and slide to avoid obstacles, collect coins and buy power ups, unlock new characters, and see how far they can run.

"In every treasure hunting adventure movie there’s one scene in which the plucky hero finally gets his hands on the treasure but then has to navigate a maze of booby traps in order to get out alive. Temple Run is this scene and nothing else. And it’s amazing." - SlideToPlay.com

Some notable reviews are the following:

"Most thrilling and fun running game in a while, possibly ever." – TheAppera.com
"A fast and frenzied experience." - IGN.com
"Very addicting… definitely a very different running game." - Appolicious.com
Voted by TouchArcade Forums as Game of the Week
One of TouchArcade's Best Games of the Month
Over 200 MILLION players worldwide!

The game features the the following:

Simple swipe and tilt controls that are easy to use and just feel
Level up your character and use crazy power-ups
Original 3D running mechanic combining turning, jumping, sliding and tilting - the first of its kind.
Play as 7 different characters
Incredibly fun, just one more time, endless game play

Discounted Graduation Thank You Notes

2013-04-05T09:31:00.000+08:00

It's Graduation time again and if you are a thank you note writer, then you will be glad to hear about this stylish thank you note from Tiny Prints.

Unless you are not yet aware or too young to appreciate it, thank you notes are a powerful way of expressing gratitude. They are the longest lasting way of saying "thank you" (OK, outside of giving someone a permanent tattoo in their sleep ... but that never works).

Either way, you can get a great deal on stylish, personalized thank you notes from Tiny Prints today. They are selling all of their more than 1700 designs for 40 percent off...for less than 24 hours. The deal is only good from 10:00 AM Pacific Time today through 8:59 AM Pacific Time tomorrow.

They have perfect designs for graduates to say thanks, thanking people for Easter gifts, for kids, for parents, for business, for literally every occasion. And you get to personalize them by adding your own text, choosing your font, and even uploading your own pictures if you choose.

So check them out now and use the promo code DEAL0404 to save 40 percent.

#MDGMomentum Twitter Photo Rally

2013-04-04T10:02:00.001+08:00

Friday, 5 April 2013 marks 1,000 days to the target date for the Millennium Development Goals and has been identified by the Secretary General as an advocacy opportunity for all UN agencies and its partners worldwide. The Secretary-General has requested that the UN system unites to observe this key milestone during the week of 5-12 April 2013, working with governments, civil society and international partners to fully harness the moment and inspire further action.

Online and offline events are planned highlighting how the MDGs are the most successful global antipoverty push in history and that the world community now has 1000 days to accelerate action.

With this, the United Nations would like to ask you to join their 1000-minute #MDGMomentum Twitter PHOTO Rally on Friday, 5 April as part of a joint campaign with UN Foundation and other UN agencies. This online event aims at building awareness and driving action around progress achieved and actions possible to accelerate progress on the MDGs.

Between 8:00 AM EDT 5 April and 1:00 AM EDT 6 April (click for local time), UN will be asking all UNDP staff, offices and partners around the world to tweet between 1 and 10 of their key MDG achievements together with related photos to activate dialogue, stimulate substantive discussion and create a renewed buzz around the MDGs. A selection of the photos will be featured on our campaign page www.undp.org/mdgmomentum and shared on www.twitter.com/undp.

In addition, UN is pleased to share this information from the Department of Public Information: The #MDGmomentum: 1000 Days of Action landing page is now live in English and contains new MDG social media materials for sharing and posting from now through to 12 April. The site is www.un.org/millenniumgoals. Files for MDG infographics and the MDG Momentum digital button are attached and also available in TEAMWORKS at https://undp.unteamworks.org/specialglobalevents or at Drop Box: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/har8n1frsj8l2vx/CgeHfdHPyt?n=27482419.

The materials and planning for #MDGmomentum were the result of a joint effort among DPI, UNICEF, UNDP, UN DESA, the Millennium Campaign and UNF.
If you have any questions, please contact your regional communications advisor.

Protect Yourself from Web Voyeurism

2013-03-31T06:22:00.000+08:00

Back in 2011, U.S. District Judge George King sentenced Luis Mijangos, 32, of Santa Ana, California to six years in prison for infiltrating computers belonging to women and teenage girls where he found sexually explicit photos and threatening to put them online unless they provided him with more.

Judge King called the crimes a form of cyber-terrorism and warned other hackers they will meet stiff penalties for ruining people's lives.

Authorities said Mijangos sent malicious software disguised as popular songs or videos to his victims' computers that also were unwittingly sent by women and teenage girls to their friends and family. In all, Mijangos unlawfully accessed and could control more than 100 computers.

He read their emails, watched them through webcams without their knowledge and most damaging was his discovery of nude photos they had taken of themselves. Mijangos then threatened to post the images online unless his victims were willing to provide more racy photos or videos to him or if they went to police, according to court documents. He also posed as some of the victims' boyfriends to convince them to send him nude pictures.

The question now is, how can you protect yourself from this form of hacking? Here are a few things you can do to minimize the odds of it happening.

If you’re using an external webcam – one that plugs into your computer’s USB port – only connect it when you need it. Yes, it can be a pain to remember to plug it in whenever you want to Skype or Facetime with someone, but at least you’ll know 100 percent you aren’t been spied on if there’s no camera connected.
Some external cameras have a small cover you can close over the webcam lens, so be sure you take advantage of this when you’re not using it. If your webcam doesn’t have this, you can point it to the ceiling until you need it, or place a piece of electrical tape on the front of the webcam – but don’t place it directly over the lens or else it could damage it.
If your laptop or desktop has a built-in webcam, be sure to have good computer security software installed -- which you should have anyway. A good security suite includes antivirus, anti-spyware, a firewall and other tools to keep the bad guys out. Good web browsers like Internet Explorer should also notify you if your webcam is being activated and you may be prompted to agree. On a related note, many video chatting websites, like Chatroulette, will warn you it’s about to enable your webcam (e.g. “Press Start to enable your webcam and mic”).
If you need to have your computer repaired, take it to a trustworthy source or else they could secretly install spying software; ensure remote access programs aren’t on your PC you didn’t install yourself, such as LogMeIn, Splashtop, TeamViewer, and so on. If you find something, immediately uninstall it and bring it to a trusted source, such as a tech-savvy relative or a professional.
Be sure your wireless network has strong security settings and a good password to prevent outsiders from accessing your Wi-Fi network without your consent.
Another tip is to go to the webcam’s setting and enable some kind of notification when it’s being used, such as a small light that turns on near the webcam or a sound alert.

If you have some more suggestion, just post it here so that we can offer more options to everyone as they protect their privacy.

Reduce Risk from Commercial Lending

2013-03-27T09:32:00.002+08:00

When starting a business or a franchise, the budding entrepreneur will always ask first where to source or borrow the money needed. When a source - be it a bank, financial institutions, or even loan sharks - has been identified, the next question that crops up is how much is the interest? These kinds of questions will not stop, as long as there is a lingering feeling at the back of their mind, that securing a business loan may give them more headaches than they deserve.

Instead of utilizing commercially-available credit lines, the entrepreneur might just consider borrowing from relatives or friends at flexible terms just to jumpstart their business and take it from there. This gung-ho style of business planning is very dangerous, and could lead to losses or eventual bankruptcy if not researched carefully. With the continuous changes in the economic environment, one can hardly afford a risky business venture without considering a fallback position.

A company can be revitalized easier, using the formal lending institutions instead of informal credit options. The volume and availability of funds in the coffers of the informal sector are subject to seasonal fluctuations, and are not subsidized by the government. The commercial financial windows, on the other hand, have a regular supply of funds that allows them to lend any time of the year. Aside from receiving a subsidy and incentives from the government, the formal sector keeps a written record on the activities of their clients.

Both modes of securing loans have risk, but to further minimize the risk from the formal sector, clients can try Express Funding Group. This company offers options for consumers to assist them with establishing credit if they have a thin credit file, or re-establishing credit after bad credit.

Loans from Express Funding Group don’t require collateral. Clients don't need to risk their current assets. This is critical to the small business owner, because this can impact other financing opportunities that they may want to obtain in the future, especially when they want to avail themselves of business cash advance loans.

Another great option available is the Express Funding Group Business Cash Advance. Small businesses often face challenges in obtaining money at critical junctures when additional funding would open up new revenue streams, or help recover lost ones. The business cash advances will help clients overcome common problems, and find ways to achieve mutual success by identifying and fulfilling capital resource needs. Why not visit the site now to know more on how to access this credit facility.

2013 Search for Eco-Friendly Schools

2013-03-26T09:26:00.000+08:00

Schools interested to participate in the national search for sustainable and eco-friendly schools have until 16 April 2013 to submit their entries to their respective Department of Education (DepEd) Division Offices for the elementary and high school categories, or to the regional offices of the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) for college category.

The EMB, a line bureau under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) extended the deadline to provide more time for schools to document their best practices in solid waste management and other greening initiatives.

The national search for sustainable and eco-friendly schools is a joint activity of the DENR-EMB, DepEd, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Smart Communications, Nestle Philippines, Unilever Philippines, Petron Foundation and One Meralco Foundation. This competition aims to highlight achievement of schools that are committed in implementing various environmental programs.

Dubbed as the "2013 National Search for Sustainable and Eco-Friendly Schools," it was organized to recognize efforts of various schools to undertake eco-friendly programs and activities, as well as to encourage schools and academic institutions to become more actively involved in environmental issues at a practical and local level.

The contest is also seen to develop skills and understanding among students, faculty and school administrators to initiate active responses and increase community awareness and involvement on environmental concerns.

Schools that are interested to participate shall register on-line at www.sustainableschools.ph and submit their entry in three (3) hard copies to their respective DepEd Division Offices for elementary and high school categories, and to EMB Regional Offices for the higher education/college category. The minimum requirement for judging will be the hard copies.

Entries can likewise be submitted online in JPEG format with a resolution of 300 dots per inch (dpi), a minimum size of 1536 x 2048 pixels, and a maximum file size of 1 MB. Entries may be emailed to ecofriendlyschools@gmail.com. The top entry per category for every region will be forwarded to the EMB Central Office for national judging.

School entries should revolve around the theme "Sustainable and Eco-friendly Initiatives." Participating schools should include a brief description of their project.

Entries will be rated according to the following criteria: Environment-related Aspects of the School's Policy (20 pts); Environment-friendly School Operations and Presence of Environmental Programs (30 pts); Environment-related Features of the School Curriculum (30 pts); Presence of Vibrant Eco Organizations in Campus (10 pts); and Presence of Partners and Linkages in Environment Programs/Projects (10 pts). Only one entry per school will be accepted.

For the national level, comprising of college, high School and elementary categories: prizes include: PhP 50,000 - 1st Prize; PhP 40,000 - 2nd Prize and PhP 30,000 - 3rd Prize as well as plaques of recognition. For the regional level, a certificate of recognition and a prize of in cheque of PhP 15,000 will be given to regional winners for each category.

Prizes shall also be awarded for the special category entitled "Nestle Leadership for Water". This award is aimed at recognizing and promoting water management solutions and practices of schools.

Another special category is a "Meralco Energy Leadership Award" which will recognize schools that promotes practices and initiatives in electrical safety, energy efficiency and conservation.

A prize of PhP 20,000 will be given to each of the winners at the national level for college, high school and elementary school categories. A cash prize of PhP 10,000 and certificates of recognition will be awarded to each of the regional winners of all categories.

All winning entries for each of the three categories, together with selected entries will be displayed during the national awarding ceremonies in November 2013, coinciding with the National Environmental Awareness Month celebration.

Think Big With Quality Leads to Your Site

2013-03-25T09:00:00.002+08:00

As a business blogger, I know that to sustain the operation of my site, it needs to have a good lead. Better and quality leads could mean you will increase website traffic, get more customers, get better pricing on goods and services, and find more options when looking for a deal.

A business lead is an internet marketing term used to describe the consumer interest or inquiry into products or services of a business. When people, for instance, are looking for a service provider or vendor, one of the first things they do is ask their friends if they know anyone who fits the bill. The act itself of conversing with people could generate the lead for a particular business venture.

There are other ways to generate leads nowadays such as employing telemarketers, list building and e-newsletter list acquisition. These strategic and tactical methods for generating leads fall under the umbrella of paid advertising. There are also non-paid sources such as organic search engine results or referrals from existing customers.

Almost everyone who blogs for profit and business knows already the importance of lead generation and quality leads to their work. However, when diving into the metrics to see how many of these leads are actually transformed into sales and opportunities, the results are not that encouraging. Why bother using several sophisticated tools to increase web traffic to your site when most of them are not transformed into profit or sales? Does this mean that it is all just a waste of leads?

Technically, it is not a waste of leads. The reason that they were not transformed into sales immediately could be because they are of low quality to begin with, regarding the product, services and site or blog you are promoting. This means that the tools you are utilizing are prioritizing the high quality leads, and not wasting their time pitching to leads that are not a good fit for your business.

A quality lead is usually defined and measured using the propensity of the inquirer to take the next action towards a purchase.

Ensuring high quality leads is where ThinkBIGSites.com comes in. The company uses an approach that they have proprietary rights to, to drive traffic and increase sales almost immediately. Using the Social Search Optimization (SSO) strategy, ThinkBIGSites.com experts develop and design branded Facebook and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) campaigns with pages that get very "BIG" results within 3-6 months after engaging the company.

The unique SEO methodology of ThnkBIGSites.com ensures that their clients target the right keywords, making the website more search engine friendly and ultimately propelling the site up the rankings ladder where they can enjoy a tremendous increase in web traffic and conversions. The service is available for everyone today and if you want to check them out, see products here.

Google Set to Trample Apple

2013-03-22T11:18:00.000+08:00

The competition between Google and Apple has taken some dramatic development lately. Tech business news just reported that the former has retaken the role of superstar of the tech sector with a stunning stock rally as rival Apple flounders.

Google just hit fresh all-time highs in recent weeks, and closed on 8 March 2013 at US$ 831.52, capping a nearly tenfold rise from its public offering price in 2004 of US$ 85. The stock is up about 17 per cent so far in 2013.

Many experts attribute this dramatic rise to an increase consumption of Google's Android mobile operating system, at the expense of Apple. Android is free but gives Google the opportunity to deliver more services and ads to users.

"The negativity that is surrounding Apple at the moment is giving positivity to Google," said Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi.

Apple, which traded as high as US$ 700 last year, has slumped more than 35 per cent and ended last 8 March at US$ 431.67.

For Google, "there's a lot going forward at the moment", Milanesi said, noting that the company is successfully "getting consumers into their ecosystem".

Google now appears poised to beat Apple to the symbolic level of a US$ 1,000 share price, say some analysts.

Analysts at Jefferies said Google set a price target for Google at US$ 1,000, saying it has been benefiting from a wide range of services beyond its traditional web search ads, including shopping and mobile ads.

"Google looks well positioned for growth with the number one market share in large, rapidly growing markets," said Jefferies analyst Peter Misek, who noted that Google remains the top Internet search engine and leading advertising platform.

A Shining Moment in Business

2013-03-20T09:47:00.002+08:00

Sometimes pride gets the better of us when trying to start a business. If it is not pride it is the feeling of anxiety that prevents us from talking to experts about what to invest in or how to start a small-scale enterprise.

For new entrepreneurs, aligning yourself with a trusted business adviser is one of the most valuable pieces of advice that anyone can give you. Entrepreneurs are generally considered as mavericks – daring, inspired, and full of ideas with enough determination to overcome extraordinary obstacles.

These business visionaries usually started it all with an innovative idea, a passionate drive to set out on their own, and a burning desire to succeed. They are mostly independent with a pioneering spirit that drives entrepreneurial innovation. However, this independent nature is also a possible source of weakness. It is a perennial Achilles heel that prevents entrepreneurs from seeking advice or help from others.

The worse thing is that, many entrepreneurs only seek out business advice only when they are in trouble or the business is failing. Very few entrepreneurs are successful in preventing any collapse from happening by surrounding themselves with talented people that share a common and realistic vision, and are able to operationalize this vision into concrete activities. This group of professional staff will most certainly include business advisers to help chart the future of the enterprise, not only when things are good, but also when things are bad.

If you’re starting or jump-starting a business, the importance of assembling a team of dedicated business professionals and staff cannot be overstated.

Succeeding in business demands that the entrepreneur is proactive rather than a reactive approach. Seeking business advice is a good example of a proactive approach. The key to business success lies in the enterprise’s ability to plan, implement, execute, measure, and adjust. It is very difficult, in most cases, for an entrepreneur to accomplish all of these along. And this is where Whale Communication can come in.

Whale Communication provides services to companies that want to acquire a new business, retain current business and build referral business. Choosing a general business adviser is a very serious decision with several complications. Whale Communication is a company that is competent, experienced and has both integrity and expertise – characteristics that are important in a bilateral fiduciary relationship.

For more details, see products here and watch and learn more about the business world from Sonar Moment interviews with business CEOs of the Pacific Northwest. These are excellent video clips providing a glimpse into the journey and success of others just like yourself; providing inspiration, and practical advice they have learned along the way.

SEO and You

2013-03-11T15:07:00.000+08:00

Online entrepreneurs who rely on web popularity to attract potential clients will salivate if given a chance to receive a higher rank in the search engines for their site. But how do you do that? It may sound vague for the baby boomers and not a few will have a hard time finding their way towards technological awareness in the web of online terminologies adopted nowadays.

The fact, however, is that high ranking in search engine optimization (SEO) engines is not really rocket science. Some people may want you to remain in the dark ages by making sure that you believe it takes years of dedicated study to understand it, but it is not true. Mastering the technical and subtle nuances may take some time, but the truth is that you can learn the fundamentals in just a few minutes.

I have been blogging for years now and studying the concept and principles of SEO has never been my top priority. However, after getting bits and pieces here and there, I believe that there are only a four basic fundamentals that a newbie blogger or a start-up entrepreneur should know and follow.

First, the Traffic Trap concept. Several online marketers make the mistake of utilizing SEO only as a source of free traffic. It’s true, free traffic is the end result, but it’s not how SEO works. The basic rationale behind SEO is to help people who are looking for you or your products find your site. There is a need to match what you are offering on your site to what people are trying to find on the web.

Second, Research. Research may be tedious, but it is a must. It is an indispensable part of finding the right keywords, especially keywords that have high search volume, have low competition and are supported by contents. I suggest bloggers should familiarize themselves about the concept known as “The Long Tail.”

Third, Crafting Your Content. After the right keywords are picked, bloggers should craft their content. Search engines have bots that automatically crawl websites, "reading" it to find out what it’s about and then deciding which keywords each of pages should rank for. Bloggers can influence their "decisions" by strategically optimizing their content for certain keywords.

Lastly, Optimizing Your Code. Search engine bots don’t just read the sites content. They also scan through the sites particular code. With that in mind, there are eight different sections of a code a blogger need to optimize. To know more about the, you can check out the web for more info, particularly examples from zeldman.com and stuffandnonsense.co.uk, two popular web designers that take different approaches in their site markup.

Label Applications and Their Benefits

2013-03-07T09:29:00.002+08:00

Manufacturers such as Johnson & Johnson, Nestle, and Procter & Gamble and retail chains like Carrefour, CVS, Tesco, and Wal-Mart worked hard for several years just to make sure that consumers could easily identify their company, and recall with fondness, their products and services.

The thing is that labeling a product or service, helps consumers identify it. That’s the bottom line. Without labels, for example, all soda drinks on a shelf would look the same. There are no distinguishing features that will set Coke and Pepsi products apart.

Labeling a product or services also help consumers make decisions on quantities they need. For example, large families may need two packages of pizza rolls for the week, based on the quantities mentioned on the labels.

Moreover, marketing professionals know that certain types of packaging and labeling appeal to consumers. Elements such as color and design are important in attracting new clients. Consumer products companies may engage third-party groups to conduct focus group discussions to test product designs before their products are introduced. A company's product will have to stand out on the shelf to generate sales.

In today’s market, competition is always stiff within all product groups. A company's performance is contingent upon how well their packaging and labeling appeals to consumers. Companies with multiple product sizes and brands usually use similar color schemes or labels on all their products so that customers can better recognize their items.

For some companies who are not yet sure on how to proceed in labeling their products, Accraply, a subsidiary of Barry-Wehmiller Companies, Inc. can provide a label applicator machine for a multitude of industries, as well as converting equipment for the flexible packaging and shrink sleeve label converting industries. They have a range of options available.

All Accraply equipment can be easily designed and configured specifically for any plant, product, and operating requirements to maximize efficiency and ensure suitability for your application. They work with their clients closely throughout the entire planning, purchasing, and production cycle to discover the benefits of single source automation, integration, and the most advanced technology available in the industry today.

Tweet this article and let your friends know about Accraply and their innovative products and services.

Save Sea Creatures with WWF App

2013-03-07T09:17:00.000+08:00

If you are an avid environmentalist who also dabble in hi-tech gadgets and phone apps, you may want to lend a helping hand to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines' EnviroPop. A digital application that entertains and educates users about the need to address the impacts of marine, EnviroPop is the first puzzle application that allows users to rescue endangered species from a host of sea hazards like cyanide bottles, dynamite sticks, oil drums, PET bottles, and trawl nets.

Launched by WWF-Philippines and AppLabs Digital Studios, the goal of the game is to clear the sea of several threats to save six WWF characters – Bobby the Butanding, Clara the Clownfish, Doogie the Dugong, Gary the Grouper, Pattie the Pawikan and Dolly the Dolphin. Players have one minute to eliminate threats by tapping and swiping on three or more hazards across the screen. The more hazards eliminated, the higher the score.

The app, the first in the WWF global network, also arms players with ample knowledge of WWF’s priority species plus the impacts of pollutants plus unsustainable fishing practices on marine biodiversity.

Says Honey Carmona, WWF-Philippines individual donor program officer, "One of the highlights of EnviroPop is Enviropedia, an interesting repository of information that kids and grown-ups will enjoy reading."

More importantly, EnviroPop provides a mechanism for players to donate to WWF-Philippines.

EnviroPop's full version is available for download on iTunes for only US$ 0.99 (roughly P40). Proceeds will go to WWF-Philippines marine conservation programs.

"The Philippines sits at the apex of the Coral Triangle, the world’s epicenter for marine life. With millions of Filipinos depending on the sea for food, livelihood and ecotourism – it’s imperative that we prioritize marine conservation," concludes Carmona.

Establishing the Logistics Link

2013-03-07T09:15:00.001+08:00

Many first-time entrepreneurs and business owners are not aware that aside from sustaining customer satisfaction to generate sales and realize profit, availability of supply and accessibility to point of sale play, important role in business.

The way an enterprise functions involves; execution and control of movement / placement of goods and / or people, and the related supporting activities all have to be in-sync with a system designed to achieve specific objectives. This is known as Logistics and the way to make sense of all these processes is called Logistics Management.

Experts around the world refer to logistics as a bell-weather industry. This means that if the economy hums, lots of goods need to be stored and shipped. If the economy goes down, logistics businesses suffer in tandem. To put it bluntly, having a large share of logistics jobs located in a region ensures that the region will do just as fine as the overall economy.

Some would disagree with the statement above since the service industry generally needs fewer logistics support than manufacturing. Thus, an economic recovery driven by manufacturing would benefit the logistics industry more; one driven by the service sector would benefit the logistics industry less. This is an on-going debate, but while the details are still sketchy, there is no denying the importance of logistics in the management process of enterprises.

For those who are not certain on how to improve their existing supply chain dynamics and the flow of goods and services, Establish, Inc. is offering their services to manufacturers, distributors and service providers. They are a global logistics consulting firm that specializes in supply chain management. The company has been in business for more than 30 years and is headquartered in Montvale, New Jersey.

One of their services that can be a significant factor in today’s economy is profitability assessment. They used assessment models that provide management with a unique understanding of the real profitability drivers at a detail level that extends well beyond traditional financial statements. Their tool has complete foundation of key information on which to build and implement a comprehensive profitability strategy.

Establish, Inc. also provides analysis of total supplier spending to determine profitability control potential and assess opportunity for savings across enterprise-wide spending. To view other services offered, click and see products here.

Branded PCs May Carry Malware

2013-03-04T08:17:00.000+08:00

Do you have plans on buying a computer (desktop, laptop, netbook)? If you have, then you better be warned that it could be carrying malware threats.

A Microsoft's study last December 2012 examined a total of 282 computers and DVD and found an average infection rate of 69 percent or a 6 percentage points higher than what originally estimated. Most of the PCs examined came from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

The study also revealed that Philippines had 42 percent infection rate of pirated software, or two out of every five computers and DVDs tested were infected with malware. Vietnam appeared to have the highest rate with 66 percent malware discovered among pirated DVDs and 92 percent in hard drives.

"While the Philippines has the lowest rate of malicious software: at 42 percent, it doesn’t mean that we should put our guards down. Instead, we should continue to be vigilant against pirated software as it is not only discouraging local innovation but as the studies have shown, it is detrimental to office operations," said Atty. Ricardo Blancaflor, director general of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL).

Microsoft's Security Forensics team also found that pirated copies of Windows embedded with malware were found in several PC brands, such as Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Samsung. However, Microsoft retorted that the counterfeit software or malware were not installed by the PC manufacturers. The computers were likely shipped with non-Windows OS, but were replaced with counterfeit software by retailers or other individuals involved in illegal activities.

"Many people assume that buying a name-brand PC is all that’s required to guarantee a good and safe computing experience. They don’t think twice about the software sold with the computer, and whether or not it’s pirated,” said Keshav Dhakad, Microsoft’s director of Intellectual Property for Asia Pacific and Japan.

"But consumers need to beware: while they might think there are great deals to be had by looking the other way, the hidden cost of pirated software is significant, and contrary to popular belief, can’t be remedied by simply running anti-virus software. If a consumer can’t verify that the computer they purchased was shipped with a pre-installed, genuine copy of Windows, their risk of exposure to viruses and spyware—and the potential for data corruption, theft, and financial loss—increases exponentially.”

In its tests in Southeast Asia, Microsoft found 5,601 instances and 1,131 unique strains of malware and virus infections, including the highly dangerous "Zeus" trojan.

Zeus is a password-stealing trojan known to use “keylogging” to monitor people’s online activity. Keyloggers record a user's every keystroke in order to steal personal information, including account usernames and passwords. This can be used by criminals to steal victims' identifies, withdraw money from their bank accounts, make online purchases using victim’s personal information and access other private accounts.

An Assembly Resource for Your PCB Needs

2013-02-26T13:01:00.001+08:00

Suppliers of industrial parts and providers of assembly services, know that there are different types of precision equipment across the thousands of industrial plants and manufacturing companies throughout the United States. The efficiency of the production line rests on the capability of the personnel operating the industrial equipment and effectiveness of the machines to deliver the correct quantity and quality of product.

Quality starts first with the integrity of the equipment. Hence, whether equipment is a rotary or machine tool, it must be functioning properly with laser precision alignment.

In a car manufacturing plant, for instance, when machinery is not geometrically correct, the misalignment will lead to delays in the assembly line, breakage in the flow of production, reduced car output, and increased downtime due to possible repairs and parts replacement. Bumping, rubbing, and grinding are the just some of the effects of poorly alignment machinery. When columns are not square, slides are not straight, and surfaces are not flat, it will significantly slow production.

Even machines that are newly installed in a manufacturing plant can become misaligned due to intense and non-stop day-to-day production. There is just no assurance that production will run smoothly just because the company was able to purchase and install the latest available machine on the market.

Fortunately, there is BESTProto. They are fast emerging as the best alternative source for prototype PCB assembly services. They are known as a pcb assembly manufacturer that specializes in prototype (5-30 pieces) through low volume assembly projects (50-1,000 pieces per year). It does not matter where the parts come from, BESTProto employ skilful pcb board assembly line and certified soldering technicians that can turn out a quality product quickly. Of course it also helps that they have flexible automated assembly equipment.

BESTProto has already worked with a variety of customers in the industrial market segment from sophisticated sensors, conditioning systems for alternative energy, power monitoring systems, industrial controls as well as others with demanding environmental requirements.

Their customers and clients can actually save time and money because they can, and are allowed to purchase their own parts, just drop ship directly to the BESTProto facility. They will only start working on a project once all the parts are ready for assembly. BESTProto will also help overcome your engineering technician on large contract manufacturer production capacity constraints. To know more about pcb board assembly at BESTProto, check and see products here.

Change Font and Save on Cost

2013-02-26T12:49:00.000+08:00

Here's a way you might save US$ 20 this year: Change the font in the documents you print.

According to Associated Press, because different fonts require different amounts of ink to print, you could be buying new printer cartridges less often if you wrote in, say, Century Gothic rather than Arial. Schools and businesses could save thousands of dollars with font changes.

Data on the subject from Printer.com, a Dutch company that evaluates printer attributes, persuaded the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay to make a switch. Diane Blohowiak, coordinator of information-technology user support, has asked faculty and staff to use Century Gothic for all printed documents. The school also plans to change its e-mail system so it uses Century Gothic.

"The feedback we've gotten so far has been positive," she said. "Century Gothic is very readable."

The school of 6,500 students spends about US$ 100,000 per year on ink and toner cartridges. Although students and staff can change the default font to something more ink-intensive, Blohowiak said the university expects to save US$ 5,000 to US$ 10,000 per year with the font switch.

When Printer.com tested popular fonts for their ink-friendly ways, Century Gothic and Times New Roman topped the list. Calibri, Verdana, Arial and Sans Serif were next, followed by Trebuchet, Tahoma and Franklin Gothic Medium. Century Gothic uses about 30 percent less ink than Arial.

The amount of ink a font drains is mainly driven by the thickness of its lines. A font with "narrow" or "light" in its name is usually better than its "bold" or "black" counterpart, said Thom Brown, an ink researcher at Hewlett-Packard Co., the world's top maker of printers.

Also, serif fonts — those with short horizontal lines at the top and bottom of characters — tend to use thinner lines and thus less ink than a "sans serif" counterpart.

But while using less ink at home can help you buy roughly one fewer printer cartridge each year, it's not necessarily better for the environment.

That's because some fonts that use less ink, including Century Gothic, are also wider. A document that's one page in Arial could extend to a second page if printed in Century Gothic. Blohowiak said her research suggests that ink comprises the main cost of a printout, but the environmental costs of paper are probably higher.

"Maybe the individual characters use less ink, but if you're using more paper, that's not so green, is it?" said Allan Haley, director of "words and letters" at Monotype Imaging Inc. in Woburn, Mass., which developed Century Gothic.

Also, Century Gothic was designed for limited blocks of text such as titles and headlines, not for full documents, said Haley, who describes fonts as his "children." Despite Printer.com's research and UW-Green Bay's experience, Haley said he still recommends Times New Roman or Arial for their readability.

The standard advice for trimming printing expenses still applies: Print in "draft mode," if you can. Use both sides of a page and do a print preview to make sure you're not printing pages with useless text such as a copyright line. Using an ink-saving font is just one more technique to consider.

And the greenest way to save on ink is not to print at all.

That's the philosophy Microsoft Corp. said it uses in deciding which fonts to include in its Outlook and Word applications. The more pleasing a font looks on the screen, the less tempted someone will be to print, said Simon Daniels, a program manager for Microsoft's typography group.

That's why the company changed its defaults in Office 2007 from Arial and Times New Roman to Calibri and Cambria, he said.

"We're trying to move the threshold of when people hit the print button," he said.

ID Cards That Make Your Child Safe

2013-02-26T12:43:00.002+08:00

Parents, teachers and law enforcement officials highly recommend that children should always carry an identification card that includes updated photo, personal information, contact information and important medical conditions that can be accessed immediately in the event that it is needed. The parents themselves and immediate family members are also strongly advised to use child photo tags so that in the event a child is missing, police or other law officials have access to an accurate and immediate physical description of the child.

During these times when children are not properly protected and child abusers are not seriously taken out of communities and made to suffer endlessly in labor camps until they die, child identification badges can go a long way. A Security badge can save police valuable time by allowing them to start their investigation right away instead of gathering personal information, such as what the child looks like.

Efficient application of treatment and emergency procedures can also be facilitated using the information in custom name badges. For instance, if a child has serious medical condition like allergies or seizures, a child medical identification card can save his/her life by allowing doctors and nurses to access the list of medication or procedures required immediately.

For those who allow their kids to travel from one province to another, identification travel cards can provide comfort to parents by knowing that airport authorities will be able to identify their kids in case they get lost. Anxiety and panic attacks are some of the most common condition parents suffer whenever they let their kids ride the plane for the first time without any adult supervision or guardian on board.

Beresford company knows the agony parents feel whenever the safety of their children is concerned and that is why they provide all the necessary custom name badges that one can think of in this day and age. They have been around since 1975 and they have diversified to even include badge printers, lanyards, badge holders or any number of other identification items in their list of products.

Beresford Company carries a number of different brands, including Evolis, Zebra, Magicard and Fargo. Regardless of whether you need a basic badge printer or an id printer that will print encrypted Smart Cards, they have the right printer for that. If you want to know more, see products here.

Sony's New PlayStation 4 Console

2013-02-26T00:36:00.000+08:00

Electronics business worldwide is currently suffering from the dearth of hit gadgets, a collapse in TV sales and the convergence of consumer interest around tablets and smartphones built by rivals Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. These could be some of the factors that compelled Sony Corp to prolong the release of its latest video game console to seven years.

PlayStation 4, a successor PlayStation 3, was just launched at a flashy event in New York with game developers like Ubisoft and Activision Blizzard in attendance.

Many observers believed that the release of the latest Sony console was timed to help stem user losses, pre-empt the next version of Microsoft’s Xbox and propel it back to the top of the videogame hardware industry.

After six years, Sony PlayStation sales are just shy of Xbox’s 67 million installed base and well behind the 100 million units of Wii sold by Nintendo, according to analysts.

Sony’s announcement comes amid industry speculation that Microsoft is set to unveil the successor to its Xbox 360 later this summer. The market-leading Xbox 360 beats the seven-year-old PlayStation 3′s online network with features such as voice commands on interactive gaming and superior connectivity to smartphones and tablets.

Some features of the new controller, dubbed "DualShock 4," include a touch pad and it can instantly stream game content from the console to Sony’s handheld PlayStation Vita through a feature called “Remote Play.” Sony has also revamped the user interface on the new console that keeps tabs on user preferences and added social networking features.

Sony purchased U.S. cloud-based gaming company Gaikai for US$ 380 million in July. Using that technology, the new console will offer a cloud-gaming service, the company said.

The Benefits of Mobile Banking App

2013-02-21T10:46:00.000+08:00

This post brought to you by Personal Capital. All opinions are 100% mine.

It was just a few months ago when I wrote about the recent advancement in mobile banking and with a blink of an eye, those improvements were rendered obsolete by some more development. It is quite amazing how fast and vast the scope of latest innovative applications appear now that critical mass mobile-money solutions are available in many countries. I could write and enumerate the latest updates hogging the papers regularly, but the moment I finish my article, there will be ten more innovations that could be more than worthy to be included.

The other option to listing down all the advance technology to date is just to highlight a few that could be worth our time and may require serious consideration. This should be one of my pet topics this month. Converting cash into e-payments will most probably directly lead to an upsurge in the macro-economic fundamentals of a region. This fact is enough motivation for me to proceed.

The basic hypothesis I am assuming is that, in this day and age, money arrive in wallets faster and can then be spent faster. For instance, e-payments lead to an acceleration of payments. This acceleration directly increase the total value spent over a given period, which (in turn) leads to higher economic activities.

Because of the importance of faster and efficient transaction, each individual consumer should have an easy access to their financial resources. Unhindered by bureaucratic and procedural barriers, consumers should be able to keep tab of their personal finances in order to make a meaningful contribution to the country's economic development.

One mobile app that gives consumers a holistic view of their finances is the Personal Capital Application. The free app, which is available on iPad, iPhone and Android, allows consumers to access all their financial accounts and portfolio performance in one aggregated view. For instance, the asset growth and allocation is presented in concise and clear format by integrating information on mutual funds, stocks, money market accounts, checking/savings.

Personal Capital allows the user to talk with a personal financial advisors who can give financial advice using the universal check-up or investment check options. There is also a unique mutual fund fee calculator available for the user with adequate memory storage and organizing menu of up to 401k. This could further enhance the tracking ability of investors and help identify their target expense item.

Guide to Cyber Ethics

2013-02-19T13:25:00.002+08:00

There is danger in the virtual world of the Internet that parents should be concerned about - the possibility of their kids being exposed to, and becoming victims of, spam mail, offensive websites, photographs and sexual videos that have been circulating in the web.

Recognizing the enormous influence of the Internet and the need for information on safe Internet usage, the Business Software Alliance, an organization dedicated to promoting a safe and legal digital world, has been maintaining B4USurf (www.b4usurf.org), an online resource website that teaches cyber-ethics and cyber safety to teachers, parents and children.

To guide children learn more about cyber ethics, the BSA offers six tips below. These tips are designed to provide an easy reference teaching about respect for creative works online, appropriate computer downloading and peer-to-peer (P2P) technology usage.

Computer Terms. Understand both technical and slang computer terms when referencing downloading, files sharing and other computer uses. For example, 'ripping' is slang commonly used to describe copying. 'Warez' (pronounced 'ware-z) is used to describe software that has been illegally stripped of its copyright protection.
Appropriate and Legal. Know what is legal usage of a computer and software and what is not. For instance, personal, self-created works may be legally shared on P2P networks, but sharing copyrighted works without permission from the creator is illegal.
Risks and Consequences. Share the risks and consequences associated with file-sharing, downloading and copying software, music, movies and games illegally. Educators are also urged to talk to students about the economics behind piracy and illegal uploading and downloading. Demonstrate that there are real consequences, both for themselves and for the authors of the creative works.
Rules. Establish computer usage rules at school. Computer usage rules at school and rules at home should mirror one another.
Present Alternatives. Offer incentives and legal alternatives to illegal file sharing and downloading, such as giving your students certificates for responsible online behavior.
Talk More. Continue to monitor your students' computer habits and usage. Several conversations may be necessary as they develop an understanding of what is legal and safe and what is not.