UAE to host historic debate on Web’s future
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The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) is to convene the World Conference on International Telecommunications (WCIT) in Dubai next week, from 3 to14 December 2012, and already the agenda is expected to be overshadowed by calls for the UN ICT watchdog to take a more active roll in Internet governance.
The argument has been characterised as drawing a line between the US and other Western governments on one side and authoritarian regimes and developing nations in search of economic growth on the other.
Reuters reported that anger from human-rights and free-speech groups has led to the US Congress and European Parliament passing resolutions calling for the decentralised policing system to remain in place. Reuters also reported that while many of the details of individual nations' proposals were secret, some leaked drafts show Russia to be advocating universal identification of Internet users while some telcos want to charge content providers for Web presence.
The WCIT aims to update a longstanding treaty that covers how telcos in different nations interact. Most of the 193 member nations in the ITU are in favour of a UN overseer and if a majority voices approval for the new proposals then it could lead to internal wrangling in member countries over whether to continue ratifying the ITU treaty.
"These persistent attempts are just evidence that this breed of dinosaurs, with their pea-sized brains, hasn't figured out that they are dead yet, because the signal hasn't traveled up their long necks," Google's Vint Cerf told Reuters, in an uncharacteristic outburst.
Google last week used social media to urge Internet users to pledge their support for the status quo. Similar movements scuttled American copyright legislation and a global anti-piracy treaty earlier this year.
ITU secretary-general Hamadoun Touré told Reuters that in practice no new measures would be adopted without nearly unanimous acceptance from member nations.
"Voting means winners and losers. We can't afford that in the ITU," said Touré, a former satellite engineer from Mali who was educated in Russia.
However, he also considered the ITU up to the challenge of policing the global Internet, despite its comparatively light role of managing global telcos.
"Because you own the roads, you don't own the cars and especially not the goods they are transporting. But when you buy a car you don't buy the road," Touré said. "You need to know the number of cars and their size and weight so you can build the bridges and set the right number of lanes. You need light-touch regulation to set down a few traffic lights."
"The decisions are going to be by consensus," said US delegation chief Terry Kramer, predicting anti-anonymity measures such as IP tracing would not be implemented because of objections from the US and others.
"We're a strong voice, given a lot of the heritage," Kramer said, referring to the US invention and development of the Internet. "A lot of European markets are very similar, and a lot of Asian counties are supportive, except China."
"From Dubai, what I personally expect is to see some kind of principles saying cyberspace is a global phenomenon and it can only have global responses," Touré said. "I just intend to put down some key principles there that will lay the seeds for something in the future."
Culled from itp.net...
Kasperky reveals top five most vulnerable PC apps
Attacks via Adobe Reader rank second, accounting for a quarter of all blocked attacks. The popularity of exploits for Adobe Reader is gradually declining due to a relatively simple mechanism that ensures their detection, as well as automated updates introduced in the latest versions of the software.
Exploits targeting vulnerabilities in the Windows Help and Support Center, as well as various Internet Explorer (IE) flaws, accounted for 3% of all attacks.
For several years now cybercriminals have been constantly on the lookout for errors in Flash Player. According to Kaspersky Security Network, in Q3 of 2012 the top 10 vulnerabilities included two entries for Adobe Flash. Our top 5 is rounded off by exploits targeting devices running under Android OS. They are mainly aimed at ‘jailbreaking' devices to provide any software - genuine or malicious - with full access to the memory and features of a telephone or tablet.
"Today, the Internet is a very aggressive environment. Virtually any site may turn out to be infected and visitors with vulnerable applications on their computers can easily fall victim to cybercriminals," commented Sergey Novikov, head of Global Research and Analysis, EEMEA, Kaspersky Lab.
"Cybercriminals primarily target electronic accounts or confidential user data, expecting to be able to turn this information into cash. They use all available methods to deliver malware to the user's computer, and exploits just happen to be one of the most popular methods."
Via ITP
Tutorial: How to Download Free Kindle Books
Well, the Kindle is an ebook reader sold through Amazon. The Amazon Kindle is actually in its fourth generation, and has been the most popular e-book reader device for approximately the last five years. On the Kindle, you can browse, shop, purchase and download e-books, magazines, audio books blogs, and magazine articles. Because the Kindle is outfitted with wireless networking, dozens of types of digital media can be accessed essentially anywhere.
Although, the majority of the Kindle books on Amazon require regular payment and most titles sell for under twenty dollars, but there are thousands of free titles available for download. There are a few companies, like Project Gutenberg, and Open Library, that offer hundreds of classic literature titles for download to your Kindle.
The reason these sites can offer these titles is because the copyrights in many cases have expired on books more than one hundred years old. This basically means that Moby Dick and Anna Karenina are ubiquitously available for download on Kindles because their copyrights have expired.
Now to download books directly to your Kindle device. you would have to visit a site that offers free titles, such as Project Gutenberg, select a desirable title, and transfer the book over to one’s Kindle library via USB connection or Wi-Fi connection. The free books available at places like Project Gutenberg are typically in conventional and easy to access formats, such as MOBI. Titles are also available in a format called ePUB. ePUB documents aren’t straightaway compatible with the Kindle, but by downloading Calibre software you can easily transform a file from an incompatible EPUB file to a downloadable, Kindle-friendly MOBI file. Alternatively, you might consider using “ Internet Archive” to access free and scanned eBooks, some of which are available in the MOBI format.
To find free eBooks available for the Kindle, in MOBI and other formats, you can also go directly to Amazon.com. Amazon often provides new titles as free eBooks to increase circulation of otherwise obscure authors and titles. Although manually searching for free titles on Amazon is clearly an option, a more efficient route might be to arrange the search output by price. You could then further refine your search for free Kindle downloads by stipulating you’d only like Kindle-compatible items as search output.
For the hardcore searcher of free Kindle downloads, it’s recommended to use a service called “Zero Dollar Books,” a project by Amit Agarwal which is available via Twitter. Zero Dollar Books alerts subscribers to new books available via Amazon, which also happen to be free!
Although, the majority of the Kindle books on Amazon require regular payment and most titles sell for under twenty dollars, but there are thousands of free titles available for download. There are a few companies, like Project Gutenberg, and Open Library, that offer hundreds of classic literature titles for download to your Kindle.
The reason these sites can offer these titles is because the copyrights in many cases have expired on books more than one hundred years old. This basically means that Moby Dick and Anna Karenina are ubiquitously available for download on Kindles because their copyrights have expired.
Now to download books directly to your Kindle device. you would have to visit a site that offers free titles, such as Project Gutenberg, select a desirable title, and transfer the book over to one’s Kindle library via USB connection or Wi-Fi connection. The free books available at places like Project Gutenberg are typically in conventional and easy to access formats, such as MOBI. Titles are also available in a format called ePUB. ePUB documents aren’t straightaway compatible with the Kindle, but by downloading Calibre software you can easily transform a file from an incompatible EPUB file to a downloadable, Kindle-friendly MOBI file. Alternatively, you might consider using “ Internet Archive” to access free and scanned eBooks, some of which are available in the MOBI format.
To find free eBooks available for the Kindle, in MOBI and other formats, you can also go directly to Amazon.com. Amazon often provides new titles as free eBooks to increase circulation of otherwise obscure authors and titles. Although manually searching for free titles on Amazon is clearly an option, a more efficient route might be to arrange the search output by price. You could then further refine your search for free Kindle downloads by stipulating you’d only like Kindle-compatible items as search output.
For the hardcore searcher of free Kindle downloads, it’s recommended to use a service called “Zero Dollar Books,” a project by Amit Agarwal which is available via Twitter. Zero Dollar Books alerts subscribers to new books available via Amazon, which also happen to be free!
The deals disseminated through Zero Dollar Books are typically available for download for up to three days after listing on Zero Dollar Books.
So we're hoping this should help you... at least to locate the best free books with your Amazon Kindle device... You can also get free Kindle downloads by checking the above listed website .
So we're hoping this should help you... at least to locate the best free books with your Amazon Kindle device... You can also get free Kindle downloads by checking the above listed website .
Microsoft calls Google 'Scroogle'
From Cnet:
It's hard not to associate Christmas with Bing.
However, Bing would like you to associate Christmas with Scrooge. The Scrooge that is Google.
The Bing I refer to is not the deceased Crosby with whom Christmas is synonymous, but Microsoft's fine and slightly underused search engine.
The Bingers would like you to know that Google is, in fact, Scroogle. How so? Well, according to Microsoft, "all of their shopping results are now paid ads."
At least, that's what the Bingers bong on a new site called Scroogled.com.The site declares: "Google Shopping is nothing more than a list of targeted ads that unsuspecting customers assume are search results."
A little video below explains that the meaning Google attaches to the word "relevance" is "how much they're getting paid."
By contrast, Bing offers you "an honest search."
Bing, you see, isn't into money or fame. It simple wants your trust. It wants to be the good guy. On the Bing blog today, Redmond takes a point-blank shot, comparing its rival's shopping site to "Ebenezer Scrooge met Google Shopping."
This left me to ponder. I am sure that when Microsoft's advisers came up with the name "Scroogle" there were hoots of laughter and fists pumped toward the lampshades.
There is the analogy to being "screwed" and the nod to Dickens' creation, all bundled in one tiny package.
Africa: TradeStable Launches On Android Devices
The classified ads service which debuted in the Nigerian market in August 2011 has featured thousands of listings from individuals and companies and recently launched its mobile site for faster and easier access.
Tradestable’s Android app allows users to browse through ads listed by category and region and also lets you post a free ad. Through its search feature, you can also narrow your search query based on location or category.
The service claims to be the safest and most convenient choice for buying and selling in Nigeria and allows you buy and sell almost everything, close to you in Nigeria.
Tajikistan Blocks Facebook
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Tajikistan is located in central Asia, north of Afghanistan and west of the People’s Republic of China. It now joins a list of Asian countries including Pakistan, Vietnam and Bangladesh that have either temporarily or indefinitely banned Facebook.
The Republic of Tajikistan has completely blocked Facebook, cutting off more than 40,000 users in the country from the social media giant.
The Washington Post reports that, the Tajikistan Office of Telecommunications on Monday ordered the country’s 12 Internet Service Providers and mobile carriers to cut all local users from the website.
Beg Zuhurov, the country’s telecom chief, said in a statement that “hundreds of citizens” had called in the request, referring to the network as a “hotbed of slander.” Zuhurov went on to say that unknown people were using the site to insult leaders of Tajikistan, hinting that they were being hired to do so.
The 41,000 Facebook users in the country make up less than a percentage point of the total population and only about 6% of the country uses the Internet. Still, this isn’t the first time it’s blocked the networking site — back in March, the Tajikistan government temporarily blocked Facebook for similar reasons.
The Republic of Tajikistan has completely blocked Facebook, cutting off more than 40,000 users in the country from the social media giant.
The Washington Post reports that, the Tajikistan Office of Telecommunications on Monday ordered the country’s 12 Internet Service Providers and mobile carriers to cut all local users from the website.
Beg Zuhurov, the country’s telecom chief, said in a statement that “hundreds of citizens” had called in the request, referring to the network as a “hotbed of slander.” Zuhurov went on to say that unknown people were using the site to insult leaders of Tajikistan, hinting that they were being hired to do so.
The 41,000 Facebook users in the country make up less than a percentage point of the total population and only about 6% of the country uses the Internet. Still, this isn’t the first time it’s blocked the networking site — back in March, the Tajikistan government temporarily blocked Facebook for similar reasons.
The Frauds And Scams of Holiday And Christmas You Must Not Fall For.
Hello Readers, It is the season for Holiday... Christmas - and of course... shopping online, but cyber criminals are as busy as any stock warehouse because they try to use the holiday season psychology to entice online shoppers to part with sensitive information. Here are some duplicitous tactics that security specialist McAfee warns gift seekers to look out for.
1. Social media scams — Be careful when clicking or liking posts, while taking advantage of raffle contests and fan page deals that you get from your 'friends' that advertise the hottest holiday gifts; also be aware of installing apps to receive discounts and of your friends’ accounts being hacked and sending out fake alerts. Twitter ads and special discounts utilise blind, shortened links, many of which could easily be malicious.2. Malicious mobile apps:
As the popularity of applications has grown, so have the chances that you could download a malicious application designed to steal your information or even send out premium-rate text messages without your knowledge. In October some 80,000 Chrome users were tricked as fake versions of Bad Piggies scooped up personal data.
3. Travel scams — Before you book your flight or hotel to head home to see your loved ones for the holidays, keep in mind that the scammers are looking to hook you with too-good-to-be-true deals. Phony travel webpages, sometimes using your preferred company, with beautiful pictures and rock-bottom prices are used to get you to hand over your financial details.
4. Holiday spam/phishing — Many of these spam emails can take on holiday themes. Cheap Rolex watches and pharmaceuticals may be advertised as the 'perfect gift' for that special someone.
5. iPhone 5, iPad mini and other hot holiday gift scams - The kind of buzz surrounding Apple’s new iPhone 5 or iPad mini is just what cybercrooks dream of when they plot their scams. They will mention must-have holiday gifts in dangerous links, phony contests (example: 'Free iPad') and phishing emails as a way to grab computer users’ attention to get them to reveal personal information or click on a dangerous link that could download malware onto their machine.
6. Skype message scare —
People around the world will use Skype to connect with loved ones this holiday season, but they should be aware of a new Skype message scam that attempts to infect their machine, and even hold their files for ransom.
7. Bogus gift cards — Be wary of buying gift cards from third parties; just imagine how embarrassing it would be to find out that the gift card you gave your mother-in-law was fraudulent.
8. Holiday SMiShing — 'SMiSishing' is phishing via text message. Just like with email phishing, the scammer tries to lure you into revealing information or performing an action you normally wouldn’t do by pretending to be a legitimate organisation.
9. Phony e-tailers – Phony e-commerce sites, that appear real, try to lure you into typing in your credit card number and other personal details, often by promoting great deals. But, after obtaining your money and information, you never receive the merchandise, and your personal information is put at risk.
10. Fake charities — This is one of the biggest scams of every holiday season. As we open up our hearts and wallets, the bad guys hope to get in on the giving by sending spam emails advertising fake charities.
11. Dangerous e-cards — E-cards are a popular way to send a quick 'thank you' or holiday greeting, but some are malicious and may contain spyware or viruses that download onto your computer once you click on the link to view the greeting.
7. Bogus gift cards — Be wary of buying gift cards from third parties; just imagine how embarrassing it would be to find out that the gift card you gave your mother-in-law was fraudulent.
8. Holiday SMiShing — 'SMiSishing' is phishing via text message. Just like with email phishing, the scammer tries to lure you into revealing information or performing an action you normally wouldn’t do by pretending to be a legitimate organisation.
9. Phony e-tailers – Phony e-commerce sites, that appear real, try to lure you into typing in your credit card number and other personal details, often by promoting great deals. But, after obtaining your money and information, you never receive the merchandise, and your personal information is put at risk.
10. Fake charities — This is one of the biggest scams of every holiday season. As we open up our hearts and wallets, the bad guys hope to get in on the giving by sending spam emails advertising fake charities.
11. Dangerous e-cards — E-cards are a popular way to send a quick 'thank you' or holiday greeting, but some are malicious and may contain spyware or viruses that download onto your computer once you click on the link to view the greeting.
12- Phony classifieds:
Online classified sites may be a great place to look for holiday gifts and part-time jobs, but beware of phony offers that ask for too much personal information or ask you to wire funds via Western Union, since these are most likely scams.
The Apple iPad mini tablet at its San Jose launch event
The iPad mini is a thinner, lighter, cheaper variant of the iPad as we know it, with a smaller screen and form factor that makes it even more portable than its larger sibling. Thanks to its 4:3 aspect ratio, the iPad mini is actually superior to 7-inch tablets with a wide ratio. That is due to the more surface area available on the device's screen, which results in a richer web browsing experience.
Now lets check out the new titchy tablet at its San Jose launch event
Apple hails the iPad mini as having all the power and functionality of its bigger brother, but with one-handed portability. (Getty Images)
Apple senior vice president of worldwide product marketing Phil Schiller announces the new iPad mini during an Apple special event at the historic California Theater on October 23, 2012 in San Jose, California. (Getty Images)
The iPad mini is said to have '35% more screen real estate than 7-inch tablets and up to an astonishing 67% more usable viewing area when browsing the Web'. (Getty Images)
The iPad mini, left, is displayed next to its bigger brother, the fourth-generation iPad, to showcase the size difference in the ultra-portable newcomer. (Getty Images)
Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing says 'the iPad mini is every inch an iPad. With its gorgeous 7.9-inch display, iPad mini features the same number of pixels as the original iPad and iPad 2, so you can run more than 275,000 apps designed specifically for iPad'.(Getty Images)
Apple describes the new iPad mini is being 'as thin as a pencil and as light as a pad of paper'.
Apple also launched the fourth-generation iPad featuring a 9.7-inch Retina display, new Apple-designed A6X chip and a FaceTime HD camera .
Now lets check out the new titchy tablet at its San Jose launch event
Apple senior vice president of worldwide product marketing Phil Schiller announces the new iPad mini during an Apple special event at the historic California Theater on October 23, 2012 in San Jose, California. (Getty Images)
The iPad mini is said to have '35% more screen real estate than 7-inch tablets and up to an astonishing 67% more usable viewing area when browsing the Web'. (Getty Images)
Share Your Travel Experience with Travelog
Travelog is developed by the four-person team at Korea-based startup CultStory. Prior to the development of Travelog, there was already a Korean version (translated as Travel Diary) launched specifically for the Korean domestic market in March 2011. However, the team decided to widen its scope to the global market with updated and improved functions, and officially launched an English Travelog for iOS in May of this year.
Founder Jepil Yun said about the app that, during a trip to New York, he missed several beautiful attractions nearby where he was visiting, and this could have been avoided if he had a tool that could give him location-based information on-the-go. And so they came up with Travelog.
Registration can be done via social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, or you can opt for an email registration. Travelers can then upload their personal notes, recommendations, and photos on their personal log, which becomes like a trip diary. Travelog also offers seven types of photo filters which can be applied to photos prior to uploading.
Travelog also allows users to discover other travelogs within the app, from all over the world. Users can browse through recent feeds by city, or they can follow a specific traveler. In addition, travelogs are not only limited to in-app viewing. Upon registration, each user will be allocated a specific URL that can be entered and viewed in the browser, a page sort of like a photo blog.
The other competitors for this app are: TripColour and Gogobot – or more general social services like Path and Instagram.
Jepil Yun says that the main, unique point of Travelog is that it focuses on documenting your travel experiences while also giving you useful information. The startup will be introducing new features such as travel recommendations and the creation of photobooks and slideshows from your Travelogs.
Get Travelog for free in the app store.
Beware oF Fake Facebook Privacy Notice
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I don't see the notice but i heard about it from a friend.
This notice started spreading after Facebook posted its new privacy guidelines, announcing it would let users comment on proposed changes to its governing documents, but not vote.
This is the notice text below :
This is the notice text below :
“In response to the new Facebook guidelines I hereby declare that my copyright is attached to all of my personal details, illustrations, graphics, comics, paintings, photos and videos, etc. (as a result of the Berner Convention). For commercial use of the above my written consent is needed at all times!”
It then goes on claiming that anyone can copy this text and paste it on their Facebook wall, which supposedly forbids Facebook to “disclose, copy, distribute, disseminate, or take any other action against [the user] on the basis of this profile and/or its contents.”
Not only all that, but the notice points out that “Facebook is now an open capital entity.” and that all its members are “recommended to publish a notice like this.”
The notice resembles a text from July which also spread virally on Facebook and, just like that notice, the new one is untrue as well.
The idea behind the “notice” is that Facebook’s listing as a publicly traded company will negatively affect its users’ privacy, which is not true. Simply put, Facebook and its users are still bound to the same terms and conditions that are accepted by users when they sign up for the service, and posting a legal “talisman” of this kind on your profile does nothing to change that.
An article about this notice on Mashable said:
We've included the full text of the notice below.
In response to the new Facebook guidelines I hereby declare that my copyright is attached to all of my personal details, illustrations, graphics, comics, paintings, photos and videos, etc. (as a result of the Berner Convention). For commercial use of the above my written consent is needed at all times!
(Anyone reading this can copy this text and paste it on their Facebook
Wall. This will place them under protection of copyright laws. By the present communiqué, I notify Facebook that it is strictly forbidden to disclose, copy, distribute, disseminate, or take any other action against me on the basis of this profile and/or its contents. The aforementioned prohibited actions also apply to employees, students, agents and/or any staff under Facebook’s direction or control. The content of this profile is private and confidential information. The violation of my privacy is punished by law (UCC 1 1-308-308 1-103 and the Rome Statute).
Facebook is now an open capital entity. All members are recommended to publish a notice like this, or if you prefer, you may copy and paste this version. If you do not publish a statement at least once, you will be tacitly allowing the use of elements such as your photos as well as the information contained in your profile status updates…
SO BEWARE AND DON'T FALL FOR THE TRICK, BECAUSE IT'S FAKE!!
(Via Mshable)
It then goes on claiming that anyone can copy this text and paste it on their Facebook wall, which supposedly forbids Facebook to “disclose, copy, distribute, disseminate, or take any other action against [the user] on the basis of this profile and/or its contents.”
Not only all that, but the notice points out that “Facebook is now an open capital entity.” and that all its members are “recommended to publish a notice like this.”
The notice resembles a text from July which also spread virally on Facebook and, just like that notice, the new one is untrue as well.
The idea behind the “notice” is that Facebook’s listing as a publicly traded company will negatively affect its users’ privacy, which is not true. Simply put, Facebook and its users are still bound to the same terms and conditions that are accepted by users when they sign up for the service, and posting a legal “talisman” of this kind on your profile does nothing to change that.
An article about this notice on Mashable said:
We've included the full text of the notice below.
In response to the new Facebook guidelines I hereby declare that my copyright is attached to all of my personal details, illustrations, graphics, comics, paintings, photos and videos, etc. (as a result of the Berner Convention). For commercial use of the above my written consent is needed at all times!
(Anyone reading this can copy this text and paste it on their Facebook
Wall. This will place them under protection of copyright laws. By the present communiqué, I notify Facebook that it is strictly forbidden to disclose, copy, distribute, disseminate, or take any other action against me on the basis of this profile and/or its contents. The aforementioned prohibited actions also apply to employees, students, agents and/or any staff under Facebook’s direction or control. The content of this profile is private and confidential information. The violation of my privacy is punished by law (UCC 1 1-308-308 1-103 and the Rome Statute).
Facebook is now an open capital entity. All members are recommended to publish a notice like this, or if you prefer, you may copy and paste this version. If you do not publish a statement at least once, you will be tacitly allowing the use of elements such as your photos as well as the information contained in your profile status updates…
SO BEWARE AND DON'T FALL FOR THE TRICK, BECAUSE IT'S FAKE!!
(Via Mshable)
Tech Quiz: Does Facebook Make Us More Honest?
With so much personal data on the site, a new study from Great Britain argues that more people are upfront about their lives, as it’s easier for friends to see through lies. Of the 2,000 Facebook users surveyed, 36 percent said they tell fewer lies since joining the site.
These are some other interesting statistics from the study, conducted by OnePoll:
- 53 percent of those surveyed think lies are more easily discovered because of Facebook.
- 60 percent feel Facebook has replaced tangible photo albums.
- 51 percent are extra careful of what they post to Facebook and Twitter to avoid misunderstandings.
- 48 percent think social networks can help new relationships.
- 52 percent wish they could go back to a time before Facebook.
- 60 percent use social media instead of diaries.
- 34 percent hide their Facebook login from partners, relatives, and friends to hide lies.
So you think Facebook Make Us More Honest, or Big Fat Liars?
Google’s StreetView Coming to Indonesia As Camera Cars Hit the Road Today
This announcement was made during the Indonesian Creative Products Week which runs from November 21st to 25th. The event’s exhibition also features works from 15 sub-sectors of creative industries, which include digital games in the country.
This is happening, says Google, in “Jakarta and other major regional cities around the country” – so there’s no official list of StreetView destinations yet.
Dr. Mari E. Pangestu, the minister of tourism, explains the partnership strategy:
We believe this mapping technology will have many different uses – allowing tourists to check out hotels before arriving, make travel plans, and arrange meeting points. And with these available digital tools, hotels, tourism sites and businesses can be more creative in making it easier for visitors to find their stores, location and websites.
Andrew McGlinchey, the product manager of Google, said that the pictures will be made available for users in the coming months. He also said that the company will ask Indonesian citizens to help choose where to drive in the near future.
Google notes that the company goes to great lengths in safeguarding users’ privacy with StreetView. This is done by blurring human faces and number plates of vehicles using Google’s technology. The company is also responsive to users’ request to blur any images that feature them.
Three Startups Win Orange’s African Social Venture Prize 2012
Orange has announced the winners of its African Social Venture Prize, which supports entrepreneurs and start-ups that use information and communication technologies (ICT) to meet the needs of African people.
According to the telecoms company, more than 450 candidates applied between May and September 2012, with proposed projects in different fields such as healthcare, agriculture, education, energy, industry and commerce.
Now, Orange has announced the three winners from 13 nominated projects during the AfricaCom Awards ceremony in Cape Town, South Africa.
Orange says it would provide support to the three start-ups for six months from its local subsidiaries as well as expert advice from business and telecoms professionals.
The first prize (25,000 euros) went to Vivus Limited, a start-up from Côte d’Ivoire that allows agricultural or farm produce traders to optimize their stocks by adjusting to supply and demand. Using an SMS-based system, the start-up provides traders with real-time information on the latest deals enabling them to order the exact quantity of stocks required.
Takachar, which won the second prize of 15,000 euros is a Kenya-based project that proffers an innovative system to improve waste management by using mobile technologies to track waste collection in real-time.
The third prize (10,000 euros) was awarded to Senegal-based e-commerce service, Niokobok which enables Senegalese people living abroad to send basic necessities to their families back home avoiding the extra cost of transferring money and enabling them to better manage their finances.
Nokia: Imaging And Camera Chief Leaving The Company November 30
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| Damien Dinning |
Amateur Photographer reports that Dinning’s departure “came as a blow” to Nokia higher ups, and indeed, losing the man responsible for one of their smartphone’s key features can’t be easy.
Nokia provided the following statement regarding this staffing change:
Following the relocation of key strategic roles to Finland,and with great reluctance, Damian Dinning has made a personal decision to leave the company effective November 30, 2012. During the past nine years, he has made many innovative and valuable contributions to Nokia, most recently as a lead program manager in our Smart Devices business. We thank him for his service to the company and certainly wish him the best.
Rumor: Alibaba-Sina Weibo Deal Stalled
Even though many stories from the anonymous and some “industry insider” should be taken with several dump trucks full of salt, this particular story would not be surprising if true. Sina has long felt that Weibo is one of its most valuable properties, but its financials have, as yet, failed to live up to the hype. Things are improving — weibo advertising revenue doubled during Q3 — but I suspect that what may be happening in the boardroom is that Alibaba is offering a price based on what is actually on the books, and Sina is demanding a higher price that reflects their beliefs about how valuable the service will be when they finally figure out how to monetize it properly.
Via Techinasia
How To Set Up A Facebook Ad Campaign In some Minutes
Before we got started, just make sure you have administrator powers on your page and are at facebook.com/ads/manage. Put in your credit card, making sure it matches the name on your Facebook account, or else you risk getting rejected. Start by clicking the green button at the top, “create ad.” You’ll be able to name this campaign at the bottom of each screen.
We’ll do four campaigns:
1. News Feed Exposure
This ad is to make sure that your fans see your posts. If you’re a big brand, only a few percent of fans may be seeing your posts in the news feed, versus 10 percent to 20 percent for others. Select your page from the drop-down, then the middle option for “promote page posts,” and then the check box for promoting the most recent post. Facebook tries to create another ad to accompany it — keep it there. It’s a page post like story to amplify activity that occurs on your post.
Check the option to target only people connected to your page. If you’re a real nut, download power editor (on the left side) and create a page post ad with the news feed placement.
If you are under 200 fans, this campaign won’t do much for you, as not many fans will see your messages. You’ll need page post ads targeted at “anyone,” but with a bunch of precise interest targets, which we won’t cover here.
Name this campaign “page_post_ads” and set a budget equal to your fan base divided by 100, but at least a dollar. So if you have 500 fans, budget $5. If you’re not in the U.S., U.K., or Canada, do one-half of this, since traffic is cheaper.
2. Job Titles (The Business-To-Business Secret)
If you’re B2B, you need to hit people who work at certain companies in certain departments. In the precise interests box, enter these job titles. Facebook will keep suggesting more, so keep adding the relevant ones. Make sure the number is at least 40, but perhaps not over 10,000.
But even if you’re not B2B, job title targeting will still work for you. If you sell children’s books, target teachers in your neighborhood — the superintendents, perhaps. If you’re a cosmetic surgeon, target other medical specialists who’d drive referrals to you. If you’re a wealth advisor, put in “vice president” and “CEO” to reach rich people. Put $1 per day on this for every 200 people you are targeting. If you’re a local business, this audience shouldn’t be over a few hundred.
So create a new ad choosing “get more likes.” Then enter a headline and text. Uncheck the box that says “only people not connected to … ,” since we want fans to see this, too. Facebook creates a tag-along ad called a “page like story,” which you should keep.
Your budget should be whatever you’re comfortable spending to grow your fan base. Expect your cost per fan to be between 20 cents and $2, depending on your industry and how clever your copy is. As a general rule of thumb, your budget should not be more than one penny per user, per day, else you risk burning out the ad, spamming users, and wasting your money.
Your ad should look something like this:
3. Interest Targets
Hit “create a similar ad” below the ad you made earlier, and remove the job title targets from the precise interests box.
Add in targets that are literal, lateral, and competitive.
- Competitive is easy: The companies you compete against, you’re hitting their fans. Choose partners, too, if you’re B2B.
- Literal: If you sell Ford Mustang parts, find keywords like “working on my Mustang” or “Ford Mustang.” If you’re a service business, your Facebook ads might not convert, since this isn’t Google, where people are searching right then for something. If you’re selling something considered, such as a mortgage, car, or vacation package, try broad category targeting (just below the box with precise), where you can target people who just moved, are looking to buy a car, have kids, are having a birthday that day, are Hispanic, have a Samsung phone, etc.
- Lateral: This is where the targeting fun really is. If you’re Jack Daniel’s, you might target certain country bands. If you’re a marijuana dispensary, target folks in Portland who listen to Bob Marley. You get the idea.
Hit “create similar ad,” each time, giving each ad a descriptive name. It takes only 30 seconds to make an ad, so you might as well do a dozen or two.
If you lump all of your targets in one ad, you won’t know how each of these interests are performing. But if the combined audience size of an ad is under a few hundred, then there’s not enough data to warrant creating another ad.
4. Your Automatic PR Machine
This has been my favorite for the past three years, yet almost nobody uses it. If you click on “see advanced targeting options,” you’ll see “workplace” in the bottom. Type in the name of the local newspapers, TV stations, and so forth. This reaches people who work at these companies.
You want them to write about you. They will think that you’re some huge company running ads, since the ads won’t show how they’re being targeted. If you’re interested in search-engine optimization, this will drive links when they write stories about you. Of course, you better have interesting content and a strong website to back it up, or else the illusion fails.
Incidentally, we have a list of all the press in the U.S. broken out by company and type of media. Email me if you want the file.
With these ads, you need only check on your campaigns every few weeks, since it is automatically promoting your latest content, plus the actions of your fans to their friends.
Of course, you still have to keep posting organically and responding to comments — no software can do that. But at least your messages are being seen.
For the folks who really want the best stuff on Facebook and have these basics down, it’s time for you to run ads that pop up in Facebook’s search box, detailed here.
I’ve intentionally skipped bits on how to write strong ad copy, using connection targeting, landing page optimization, and so forth. These are your critical components.
If anyone has questions, just comment below or email me.
You can also read the full article here
ASUS' Windows 8 family circle
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| The ZENBOOK Series of Ultrabooks features a wide range of specifications and screen sizes to suit a variety of mobile needs. |
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| The ASUS TAICHI is an ultra-slim notebook that features a dual-screen design with 1080p IPS displays |
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| The ZENBOOK Series of Ultrabooks features a wide range of specifications and screen sizes to suit a variety of mobile needs. |
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| VivoBooks such as this S200 are designed for ultra-portability. |
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| VivoBooks such as this S400 are available with an 11.6-inch or 14-inch high-definition screen and come equipped with large multi-touch touchpads. |
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| The VivoTab includes a detachable keyboard for tablet functionality and a Wacom stylus for high-precision input . |
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| The ASUS All-in-One PC ET2300 is an all-in-one desktop PC with a double-hinge design that allows it to be used both as a traditional desktop with an upright display and as a digital canvas that folds flat . |
Samsung wins right to see Apple-HTC accord
The victory will allow Samsung to determine which of Apples patents are covered by the agreement, a vital element in fighting its own patent battle with Apple. In August a US judge awarded the Cupertino-based iPhone maker $1.05bn for Samsung's violation of certain Apple-held patents. Samsung is in the process of appealing that decision and information on the HTC-Apple accord could prove key to the outcome of both the appeal and Apple's campaign to have some Samsung products excluded from the US market.
Holiday Gifts: Top 5 Highest And Best Android tablets To Buy
Hello Folks, You may need to buy some Stuffs for your love ones especially for Holiday .. So the following five tablets can be the highest and best quality Android-based tablets currently available.
1- Google Nexus 7 (16GB)
With its excellent design, useful software features, and low starting price, the Nexus 7 is the cheapest way to experience the best that the Android OS has to offer.
Price: $199.99 - $254.95
2- Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 (gray, 32GB)
The Asus Transformer Pad Infinity TF700 is one of the fastest Android tablets out there, combining an already proven design with a better camera, a faster processor, and a beautiful screen.
Price: $439.99 - $549.00
The Nexus 10's superior design and swift performance make it one of the best Android tablets to date. We expect post-launch updates from Google to make it even better.
Price: $399.00
Price: $399.00
4- Asus Transformer Pad TF300 (16GB)
Though it isn't as thin or as sturdy, the Asus Transformer Pad TF300 delivers Prime levels of performance at a more affordable price.
Price: $345.99 - $469.00
Price: $345.99 - $469.00
5- Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 (16GB)
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is the best Samsung tablet yet. If you can get over its somewhat high price, it's a sound Android tablet investment.
Price: $441.48 - $549.00
You can also get full review and price here
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