July 5th, 2006
I’m not sure why there is such outrage against PayPerPost, especially when most people saying it is evil are using AdSense. Should bloggers disclose if they are being paid to write about a topic or post a link? They probably should, but that is up to each blogger.
Let’s compare AdSense and PayPerPost:
AdSense examines the text/topics on your posts and attempts (sometimes pretty poorly) to display ads that match the text/topics. The blogger has not “blessed” or approved each of these ads, and they do not endorse them, but they are happy to receive money from someone clicking on one on their site. If the reader happens to have a bad experience buying or visiting the site from this paid link, they may or may not attribute some ill will to the blogger who showed them the link.
PayPerPost pays bloggers who write a post that matches the requirements of the advertiser. From looking at the site right now, about half of the opportunities are for only positive reviews/links, while a little less than half simply want a link with any thoughts (positive or negative). It is still up to the blogger whether to accept an opportunity or not, and any blogger that writes a positive review of a horrible site/service/product is sure to lose creditability with their readers. Is this really any differently than say CNET? Cnet, as do many other sites, receives a small payment anytime someone who buys a product after clicking on a link on one of the site’s reviews. People still visit and trust CNET because they give their honest opinion of products and disclose that they may receive a payment from time to time. Why should this opportunity only be left for big corporations?
I haven’t signed up for PayPerPost yet, but it looks like it could be another good souce of revenue for a blogger that only accepts PayPerPost opportunities that do not interfere with his/her ethics (i.e. only give something a positive review if you like the site/product/service).
Posted in Internet, Research & Stats | 1,354 Comments »
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November 25th, 2005
Nokia’s VP of corporate strategy, Antii Vasara, admitted to Vnunet that the N-Gage did not meet the company’s projected targets. Vasara said, “N-Gage is still being sold but it was not a success in the sense of developing a new category.” While the company does not plan to introduce further iterations in the N-Gage handset line, it will continue to support existing N-Gage and QD handsets.
This does not mean the N-Gage has been completely disappointing, as Nokia is able to use the N-Gage software platform to expand its entrance in gaming. “We learnt that people want to play games on all devices. As such we are integrating the gaming software into Series 60 phones.”
Posted in Cellphones & Portables, Mobile Gaming | 159 Comments »
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November 21st, 2005
Claremont Creek Ventures, a startup investment firm specializing in early-stage information technology and biotech startups, has closed its first fund of $130 million in committed capital. The fund will focus on the “un-tethered workforce”, which includes wireless, workforce mobility, and voice/video over IP; applications for healthcare, which includes medical instruments, bio-informatics and home care; and security software for the enterprise.
According to the company, it will look for investments in companies valued between $2 million and $7 million where it can invest from $100k to $3 million for an initial investment. These investments will be lower level series A, not seed funding, and with more extended due diligence than most early stage investments.
Posted in Companies & M&A | 283 Comments »
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November 20th, 2005
According the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American spends more on entertainment than they do on gasoline, household furnishings and clothing combined, and nearly the same amount as spent on dining out.
Household spending on entertainment has outpaced overall expenditures over the past 10 years, by more than doubling during this time. Household earning more than $77,000 per year in pretax income, which is 20% of U.S. households, spends approximately $4,500 per year on entertainment. This also varies some depending on where the household is located within the country, as households of all income levels on the west coast spend about 20% more on entertainment than the national average.
How much do you spend on entertainment? Probably more than you think. Add your subscription services together, such as digital cable, HBO, upgrade for high-definition, Netflix or renting movies, TiVo, high speed internet and in some cases satellite radio or internet streaming music, and the total will shoot above $200 per month ($2,400 per year). Next, let’s look at the variable costs like movie theatres, video games, print or electronic books, and the number quickly jumps several thousand dollars more. If you consider “food away from home”, which the Bureau of Labor Statistics considers a separate category but often overlaps with entertainment, the number grows even further.
Posted in Home Entertainment, Research & Stats | 90 Comments »
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November 19th, 2005
Radiance Technologies, a small Huntsville, AL company, has created a system that can instantly determines the exact location of a gun being fired and its model. The U.S. Army is currently testing it and three similar ones to give soldiers an edge in battle conditions, by allowing them to return fire more rapidly.
Unlike other known systems, the Radiance’s WeaponWatch is powered by infrared sensors that can literally detect missiles or gunfire at the speed of light. It even works while under heavy attack and at longer sniper distances.
WeaponWatch is one of the major reasons Radiance has grown from only three employees six years ago to 275 now, making it one of the 500 fastest-growing small businesses in the United States. It had revenue in 2004 of $35 million, a 701% growth over the last three years, and moved up 66 places to #148 on the 2005 Inc. 500 list.
Posted in Companies & M&A, Misc., Security | 85 Comments »
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November 18th, 2005
Korea Telecom (KT) will roll out a new mobile wireless broadband service by mid-2006 called WiBro.
WiBro is one of the next steps beyond 3G known as mobile WiMax and will provide subscribers up to 10 Mbytes of data transfer per second while driving at 75 miles per hour. Current trials have already shown KT subscribers downloading at 4 Mbytes per second at cruising speeds.
KT said the first deployment will be in the Seoul metropolitan area, with further deployments gradually expanding across the country. Koh, Jong-Seog, vice president of KT’s Mobile Internet Business Group, is quoted in an article on EETimes, stating that the new service is expected to provide KT with additional sales of approximately 10 trillion won ($10 billion) through 2010. As SK Telecom and Hanaro Telecom are providing similar WiBro services, high speed broadband will no doubt expand quickly through the Korean consumer and business market.
Posted in Internet | 78 Comments »
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November 17th, 2005
A new lie detector, the GK-1, tested in Russia for airline security shows significant promise towards improving airline security. The GK-1, developed by Israeli firm Nemesysco, uses a minimally invasive two stage process to tell if a passenger is being untruthful.
The initial test takes between 30 to 75 seconds and can be performed as part of the standard security screening. Passengers simply put on a pair of headphones and look at a console to answer “yes” or “no” questions into a microphone. For those that fail the initial test, they are taken aside for a more extensive test.
At $10k to $30 per installation, the added speed and accuracy of the tests may be a good step towards improving airline safety and helping you get through the “line” that much faster.
Posted in Security | 39 Comments »
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November 17th, 2005
A new study by Pyramid Research shows that mobile subscribers in emerging markets have high interest in mobile internet and data but little interest in paying much.
The study asked 2500 mobile phone users across the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) “under which of the following circumstances they would use data services like wireless internet and mobile TV – if it were free, if the price were right or not interested at all”.
Brazilians had the highest interest in mobile data but only if these services were provided for free. Are we surprised this? Business and consumer customers across the world always show much higher interest in data, content, applications and games when there is no charge for them.
The more in-depth areas of the study examine those subscribers willing to pay “if the price were right”. Russians are willing to pay an average of $4.23 USD per month for mobile data, while those in Brazil and China would pay an average of $4.00 USD per month. Indian subscribers show the least willingness to pay with $1.50 USD per month, where only 20% of respondents showed an interest in mobile data applications.
Posted in Research & Stats, Wireless | 42 Comments »
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November 16th, 2005
Navio Systems has closed its second round of funding with $25.4 million of venture funding.
Navio sells multimedia networking software to media companies that allows subscribers to buy, share, download, store and access content while protecting the content. Their technology can be integrated into customers’ storefronts through the internet, mobile devices and peer-to-peer networks. It also allows customers access and redownload their purchased content when they lose or upgrade their devices.
Lead participants in this round were the WK Technology Fund and VantagePoint Venture Partners.
Posted in Companies & M&A, Mobile Content | 48 Comments »
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November 15th, 2005
LOC-AID Technologies announced that it has secured $5 million in its first round of institutional financing. The round of funding was co-led by H.I.G. Ventures and Intersouth Partners.
Loc-AID was founded in 2001 to add functionality and interoperability to cell phones with location based services.
Posted in Companies & M&A | 35 Comments »
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November 10th, 2005
The Wireless Association (CTIA) has announced plans to adopt a voluntary content guideline system, similar to the ESRB, to “proactively provide tools and controls to manage wireless content offered by the carriers”.
The system will not only provide ratings for content but will also allow parents to block access to particular content on their children’s devices. The two-tiered system will divide content on a carrier’s portal into Generally Accessible Carrier Content and Restricted Carrier Content. To avoid inconsistencies with other rating systems, the system will categorize based on existing movie, TV and game rating systems.
The initial phase of the rating system will label content provided on carrier portals, with a second phase to address internet content accessed through mobile devices.
Adult content on mobile devices has been available on carriers in Asia for years and is quickly growing in Europe. While this type of content has not been a large part of the U.S. mobile content industry, it is good to see U.S. carriers beginning to provide the tools to consumers to monitor the type of content accessed on their plans.
Posted in Cellphones & Portables, Mobile Content | 24 Comments »
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November 8th, 2005
In-game advertising firm double fusion Monday announced it had hired Geoff Graber, the former general manager of Yahoo! Games, as its CEO. The company, which intends to soon move its headquarters to New York City from Jerusalem, also announced that it had closed a $10 million financing round led by Accel Partners and Jerusalem Venture Partners.
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Unlike rival Massive Incorporated–which focuses on inserting ads into games by major publishers–Double Fusion intends to work with major publishers as well as makers of short-form casual games, like those Graber oversaw at Yahoo! Games. “There are opportunities in both areas,” Graber said. “There’s very clearly an interest from brand game publishers to leverage their games, but there’s also a very good target market in the demographic for casual games as well.
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Link to Complete Article
Posted in Fixed Gaming | 42 Comments »
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November 8th, 2005
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According to Marketing Insight, a consumer research institute, 14 million out of 37 million cell phone subscribers in Korea play mobile games. To put it another way, four out of every 10 people are mobile gamers. More specifically, 2.3 million play mobile games everyday, accounting for 6.2 percent of the total cell phone subscribers, including 15 percent of cell phone users in their teens and twenties.
As the popularity of mobile games soars among teenagers and workers, there is a growing concern over “mobile game addiction.” Indeed, mobile games are increasingly causing distractions at workplaces and classes.
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Experts agree that the biggest problem with mobile games is the difficulty in determining whether one is addicted to the games or not.
According to psychiatry professor Yoon Soo-jung of St. Paul’s Hospital, many teachers complain about students playing mobile games in class, and it is difficult for parents to notice their children’s mobile game addiction as children can easily hide their mobile game playing, unlike Internet games.
Oh Won-i, the head of the Information Misuse Prevention and Research Center at Korea Agency for Digital Opportunity and Promotion, also pointed out that due to the ubiquity of cell phones, it is hard to draw a clear definition of mobile game addiction despite its great adverse effects. In addition, he emphasized the need for concerted efforts from mobile phone operators to establish a program to prevent mobile game addiction.
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Link to Complete Article
Posted in Mobile Gaming | 28 Comments »
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November 7th, 2005
The Walt Disney Internet Group (WDIG) is acquiring Living Mobile, a European mobile game developer and publisher, as part of its ongoing strategy to expand its footprint in the mobile games category.
Disney first entered the mobile market in Japan through a deal in August 2000 with NTT DoCoMo which propelled its to become the number one mobile entertainment brand in that market. It currently has distribution deals with all 4 major carriers and more than 3.3 million paid subscriptions. This latest move is intended to enable the group to replicate this success in Europe.
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Link to Complete Article at Computer Business Review Online
Posted in Mobile Content, Mobile Gaming | 70 Comments »
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