Android Authority |
- Would you pay $100 to send a message to Mark Zuckerberg’s Inbox?
- Dropbox update makes sharing pictures a breeze
- Today only, the Braven 625S Bluetooth Speaker is $80 off at Best Buy
- 7 sizzling new Android apps of the week (January 11 issue)
- Taiwan’s Fair Trade Commission slaps Samsung with a small fine for misleading advertisement
- 260 million people played Rovio games last month
- Angry Birds Space update takes you to Pig Dipper, offers 30 new underwater levels
- Kogan unveils the new dual-SIM Agora, probably the cheapest 5-incher in the world
- Invoxia NVX 610 is a desktop phone accessory for Android devices
- Nexus 4 production reportedly halted, as LG is focusing on future smartphones, Nexus 5 included?
| Would you pay $100 to send a message to Mark Zuckerberg’s Inbox? Posted: 12 Jan 2013 02:02 AM PST
This is a novel approach to spam: put a price tag for each message sent to a person you don’t know. At least that’s what Facebook wants to test. If implemented, besides being a spam deterrent, this method can also be a way to monetize Facebook messaging. Facebook is free, and users are charged nothing to use the service. However, this does not preclude Facebook from monetizing your account through the likes of paid ads or partnerships. In short, the adage is true: if you’re not paying for the product, then the product is you. Charging messages to persons who are not in a person’s friends list can be one way for the social networking site to leverage on their services. Facebook has actually been testing a system for charging senders to push a message straight to your inbox. The experimentIt started out as a $100 per-message fee to Mark Zuckerberg if you were not connected to him via Facebook. This looked like a good account as a test subject for the experiment. As part of the experiment, each account now has an "Other" folder, where messages from people not on the friends list end up. The listing on this Other box was implemented retroactively. Old messages like random mail, spam or invites, will be placed there. For some obscure reason, it remains grayed out, but accessible, to the user. The experiment soon escalated as the plan was to implement this to every Facebook account, not just to Zuck’s. The $100 seems to be just a test, as it will be hard to put a price for this service. Ultimately, the pricing will depend on market forces. How much should a random message be charged? At what price point will spam stop or top off? What price do marketers want to pay to send sales messages straight to your inbox, rather than the dreaded obscure Other box? Like other websites that provide a service and help people connect and communicate with one another, Facebook has implemented anti-spam and privacy protection measures. For messages, it has algorithms to detect possible spam. However, the cost of delivering and storing unwanted messages does take a toll on the company. Facebook has since taken some flak from technology media and industry analysts, as well as from other social networking sites. The feature has since been stopped, and senders are no longer charged for their delivery to unknown or unconnected recipients. It is expected that Facebook will roll out other experiments to find ways to curb spam, and to improve the user experience. Facebook is free for users, but …Facebook is not just a social networking site, but it is also a huge database of prospects for possible contacts. According to sources, there are about 1 billion active accounts on Facebook. Even charging one cent for each message, and each of those accounts receiving one message a day, that could mean $10 million dollars of revenue per day for Facebook, or $3.65 billion annually. Forecasting these figures would have to take into account the behavior of those using Facebook. Some users would think that this is outright exploitation, even if it were included in the terms and conditions of use. The latest news is that Facebook no longer charges for unsolicited messages. Users can again send a message to Mark Zuckerberg, or anyone outside of their friends list, without any charges. But there’s no assurance that these will reach their inbox, and your message might be languishing in their Other folders for a long time. The question now is this: knowing that Facebook is not going to give you a cut of their earnings from paid inbox messages (other than the fact that you still get to use Facebook free), are you willing to set a price for delivering messages to your inbox? Conversely, for business owners and entrepreneurs, is there value in paying to push messages to a user’s inbox? Related Posts |
| Dropbox update makes sharing pictures a breeze Posted: 12 Jan 2013 01:14 AM PST
Back in December, Dropbox released an "experimental" build of its cloud storage application for Android, with more emphasis being put on the app's media organizing and sharing ability, that’s only available to download from its website. The latest version of Dropbox has finally incorporated the new features. Those who have braved the beta will feel right at home with the new update, which brings the Dropbox app to version 2.3.
You can place and organize all your photos into albums, share multiple pictures at once, and delete those pictures where you're blinking – among other unflattering poses — in bulk as well. The updated app also comes with the usual improvements, tweaks, and bug fixes. If you haven't already done so, head to Google Play to get the latest Dropbox. Loving the new features? Share your thoughts in the comments below. Related Posts |
| Today only, the Braven 625S Bluetooth Speaker is $80 off at Best Buy Posted: 11 Jan 2013 02:35 PM PST
The speaker is actually pretty feature rich. As Android Police reports, it comes with dual 3W drivers and a 1700mAh battery that can help charge your devices. So if you’re looking to get a Bluetooth speaker but don’t want to invest much more on a more expensive speaker, this may be the deal you’re looking for. Is the Braven 625S Bluetooth speaker worth buying?If you’re looking for a Bluetooth speaker that’s of higher quality than the $25 cheap ones you can find everywhere, then it’s definitely worth checking out. It may not be as high quality as some speakers that cost $200 or more, but Braven has a decent mid range product here that will beat out nearly all of the low end stuff. For $99 and free shipping, that’s a hard deal to pass up. Reviews for the unit are mixed. Most online and YouTube reviews sing praises, but some customer reviews show they are less than impressed. However, do keep in mind that’s also when this speaker is purchased at full price and it’s on sale now for almost half off. With that kind of discount, it could be worth giving it a shot. You can find the Braven 625S on Best Buy’s official webpage. Does the huge discount make these worth buying? Let us know in the comments. Related Posts |
| 7 sizzling new Android apps of the week (January 11 issue) Posted: 11 Jan 2013 02:00 PM PST
Another week has come and gone. You might be reading this right now as you wait for the last few hours of the work week to count down, or you might be already relaxing at home. Regardless of where you are, you’re probably itching for this week’s list of 7 sizzling new Android apps, and who are we to deny you the pleasure? We combed the Google Play Store and found apps to help you unwind. Play your favorite Nintendo DS games right on your Android device, make some music with Sound-Spheres, and get well-rested with a sleep cycle calculator. Had a weird dream? We have an app that can help you interpret that. If you’re still busy working, make your life easier with a note app, an SMS manager, and a crop tool that will crop images in fun shapes. Without further ado, sink your teeth into this week’s 7 sizzling new apps, fresh from the Google Play Store. DSdroid Android devices are so powerful that they can imitate other game consoles. The DSdroid app by Sean Dev lets you play your favorite Nintendo DS game right on your Android device. Take note that this is only an emulator app. You will have to provide your own game ROM file and use this app to launch the game. This app is somehow alike with the nds4droid app, however, the developer promised to bring updates soon to improve the app’s interface and emulation. The emulator is still new and you might expect some glitches when playing some Nintendo DS games. Try switching to different frame skip options if your game lags. You can download the app for free. But, if you want, you can send a donation of about a dollar to help the developer with this project. Shape’d When cropping out pictures, we usually produce square and rectangular images. But, if you use the Shape’d app by iwombit, you can easily crop out pictures in various shapes. The app contains a selection of shapes to crop your pictures. You can use circles, triangles, rectangles, oblongs, and even hexagons. You can also apply two or more separate crop shapes on the picture. The app also lets you apply a background color, save the edited picture on your device, and share your picture. The ads-supported Shape’d app can be do download for free. You need not worry about the ads because they only appear at the bottom of the screen and doesn’t interfere while you crop your pictures. SphereTones Binaura’s SphereTones app is a unique way to make music. You start out with a white slate of pure silence, but pressing on a screen lets you select a sound. This sound will be the tone of your Sound-Sphere. To really start the music, drag a small ball from the main sphere to your desired distance and drop it. The ball will perpetually keep dropping, producing a sound upon impact and establishing a rhythm. You can make as many or as few balls as you like. Create more Sound-Spheres to make beautiful music. What’s really cool about SphereTones is that when you zoom out, you can see all your different spheres in motion, painting beautiful geometric patterns on the white background. 90night (Sleep Cycle Calc) Sometimes sleeping more than 9 hours still leaves you feeling tired and groggy when you wake up. As Jonathan Nakhla’s 90night (Sleep Cycle Calc) app explains, it’s because sleeping works in cycles of one and a half hours. If you feel tired when you wake up, it’s likely because you woke up in the middle of one of your cycles. The 90night (Sleep Cycle Calc) will help you calculate when you should wake up based on the time you go to sleep or when you wake up. Choose the hours of sleep you’d like to have and 90night (Sleep Cycle Calc) will set your alarm for you. 90night (Sleep Cycle Calc)’s free version is ad-supported. The pro and ad-free version, 90night Plus, can be purchased for about US$1.00 from the Google Play Store. EasyNote Notepad | To Do List It’s fresh new year and fresh new goals are oftentimes what some of us want to have to start our year right. Luckily, PerfectionHolic Apps’ EasyNote Notepad | To Do List can be a great aid, especially to those who want to get rid of being forgetful. If you have a lot of things to accomplish and want to have them with you wherever you go, this convenient app can be of great use. You can choose to have a sticky note widget on your home screen, password-protect your notes, and color-code your notes. You can also backup your notes to your SD card, a surefire way for you not to miss any important things to do. Stay organized and hit each and one of those goals with the help of EasyNote Notepad | To Do List, free from the Google Play Store. Manage SMS If you receive a lot of text messages daily, whether from work or school, and want to keep some of them easily, Manage SMS by ToXSL Technologies Pvt Ltd can do the job and does it well. The app is easy to use and features four major functions — SMS Statistics, SMS Backup, SMS Restore, and SMS Deletion. You can see daily, weekly, and monthly statistics of the people who messaged you the most. You can make backups of your messages, both sent and received, so if you are going to use another device and want to have those important messages transferred, doing so will be as easy as pie. Batch deletion of messages is also possible, so you won’t need to individually delete messages. Try Manage SMS today start managing your text messages easily. Dreams Dictionary (Meanings)!! Ever wondered what your dreams mean or what they may be telling you? Instead of scouring the Internet for answers, why not use an app that has the same function but is more convenient to access and use? Dreams Dictionary (Meanings)!! by Avi Tech is an easy-to-use dream interpretation app housing tons of dream analyses. This free app interprets your dreams through analyzing your dream’s main subject. You can also search for the thing you’ve dreamt of through the app’s search bar. There’s no need for you to look high and low for a dreams dictionary to help you understand what your dream was about. Dreams Dictionary (Meanings)!! is absolutely for free. Get it today. These 7 apps are just some of the sizzling new apps that you can find in the Google Play Store. There are even more new apps in the Play Store, waiting to be discovered. Which of our sizzling new apps do you like best? Show your support by voting in the polls below. What new apps do you want to recommend? Tell us by leaving a comment below. (with contributions from Alvin Ybañez and Dan Evans; banner image courtesy of Shutterstock.com) Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.Related Posts |
| Taiwan’s Fair Trade Commission slaps Samsung with a small fine for misleading advertisement Posted: 11 Jan 2013 11:20 AM PST
Samsung is in trouble with the FTC once again. It seems that the Taiwanese Federal Trade Commission has now slapped the company with a small fine due to a misleading advertisement. To be honest, the sum charged was pretty paltry at just NT$300,000, which converts over to around $10,400. This is basically pocket change to the company, especially when compared to past fines that the company has been charged with by the Federal Trade Commission. So what caused the fine in the first place? It had to do with an advertisement for the Samsung Galaxy Y Duos GT-S6102, which promoted the phone as having automatic focus and flash functions. Looking at the photo, it's pretty clear that it doesn't have either of these. While most of us can easily tell that this ad was just a mistake, it is certainly possible that someone less tech-savvy might read the claims and buy the phone thinking it extra features that it really doesn’t possess. These kinds of small fees really seem to do very little in reality, and certainly does nothing for the customer that made a bad purchase because they were misled. What do you think, should the fine have been for more or do you feel that such a tiny mistake isn’t even worth a fine at all? Related Posts |
| 260 million people played Rovio games last month Posted: 11 Jan 2013 11:13 AM PST
Rovio, the developer of Angry Birds, has broken yet another milestone: 263 million people played its games in the month of December. This tops off a pretty good year for the company, which managed to break the 1 billion downloads barrier last May and reached a record breaking 8 million individual downloads on Christmas Day. This figure includes Android and iOS apps, as well as the web-based games versions that can be accessed on Rovio’s website and on Facebook. Even so, it’s a pretty astonishing number of people playing just a handful of games. I’m going to go our on a limb and say that Angry Birds has pretty much solely helped Rovio achieve such higher numbers. Each of the various Angry Birds installments have reached hundreds of millions of downloads, giving a combined total over a billion downloads. Rovio’s other titles, Amazing Alex and Bad Piggies, are still quite a long way behind in terms of total downloads, but when your old titles are still making you record sums of money it’s no big loss. Considering the franchise is so popular, it’s not surprising that an Angry Birds film will be hitting the big screen in 2016, and that we can ride Angry Birds themed roller-coasters. I’m interested to see what Rovio does next, as it has already stated it’s interested in starting another IPO this year. But I wonder if Rovio, or anyone else for that matter, will ever be able to top the success of Angry Birds. Related Posts |
| Angry Birds Space update takes you to Pig Dipper, offers 30 new underwater levels Posted: 11 Jan 2013 09:25 AM PST
As Rovio's biggest cash cow, the updates for Angry Birds and its many editions never seem to stop rolling out. If you're a fan of Angry Birds Space, the developer has just given a reason to dust the game off and give it some fresh spins. The latest update will have you flinging birds in a strange Galaxy called the Pig Dipper, which boasts 30 new aquatic-themed levels. Considering that you're playing in water-filled planets, you'll have to take into account both gravity and buoyancy factors. To defeat the army of Bad Piggies, you'll be given some new power ups as well, which include Flock of Birds, Space Egg, and Pig Puffer. You'll definitely need these to take out those pigs in their patrolling boats, as well as when facing the "ultimate underwater boss level". Sounds intriguing? Head to Google Play now to get the latest update for Angry Birds Space. Those who have dipped their toes in the Pig Dipper episode, how challenging do you find the new underwater levels? Related Posts |
| Kogan unveils the new dual-SIM Agora, probably the cheapest 5-incher in the world Posted: 11 Jan 2013 07:09 AM PST
With so many awesome new quad-core 1080p smartphones coming from left and right, it's easy to get carried away and lose perspective on a key aspect of today's tech market – there are lots of people in emerging countries and not only that care about low prices and low prices alone. And yes, $500 for these folks is a lot of dough, even if what comes from spending that kind of money is a top-tier, state-of-the-art device. But fret not, budget-caring amigos, because if you don't want to dig deep in your pockets, but you are fans of the "bigger is better" trend, we have the ideal solution to your problems. Well, ideal might be a bit of a stretch, but still. Meet Kogan's new dual-SIM Agora phone going for the unbelievably low price of $150. That's off-contract, SIM-free, unlocked, outright or whatever you want to call it, so it's one of the best deals we've seen in a while.
Surprisingly, Kogan has even managed to pack this new Agora with a little bit of heat. Not a lot, but 150 bucks does buy you a phone with a 5-inch 480 x 800 LCD capacitive touchscreen, a dual-core 1 GHz Cortex A9-based CPU, 512 MB of RAM and a 2,000 mAh Li-ion battery. Entry-level specs mostly, but you could get much, much worse. There are also dual cameras fitted on the back (5 MP) and front (0.3 MP) of the device, while the software's flavor of the day is Ice Cream Sandwich. The rest of the features are pretty standard and include 4 GB of internal memory, microSD support, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, USB 2.0, Bluetooth, GPS and 3G connectivity.
As far as design goes, the Kogan Agora is definitely not an ugly slab of silicon, measuring a mere 9.8 mm in thickness, but weighing a pretty hefty 180 grams. You should of course not expect the build quality of a lifetime, with plastic bound to cover the entire surface of the 5-incher. Once again far from ideal, but what do you expect? Now, in the spirit of full disclosure, we have to tell you that Australian-based Kogan has had some trouble with delivering promised Android devices in the past, but hopefully we're past that. If you trust that to be true, go over to the company's website right now and get your pre-order in. The Agora is expected to start shipping on February 14 and can be had in 11 countries, including Australia, US and UK. Who's in? Related Posts |
| Invoxia NVX 610 is a desktop phone accessory for Android devices Posted: 11 Jan 2013 06:55 AM PST
Those retro handsets that plug into the mobile phone's headphone jack may not be to everyone's taste, but here's a more elegant and useful take on the novelty accessory that is worth taking a look at, the Invoxia NVX 610. The desktop phone accessory has been available for iOS devices for a while now, and now the Invoxia NVX 610 is finally being released for the Android platform. We’ve got some live pictures below courtesy of the folks over at Pocket-lint.
Getting the NVX 610 means you have a cool place to dock and charge your smartphone, as long as it fits the arrangement. However, seeing that the talking bit is done via Bluetooth, it means you can pair it with any Android devices. Aside from picking up the corded handset the old-fashioned way to answer a call, you can access the hands-free mode by pressing the volume button on the base. You can also use it to listen to music and any other audio source from your smartphone, VoIP apps included.
If it’s anything like the iOS version, you should be able to download an accompanying app that will let you control the desktop phone remotely, as well as collating all your contacts. The Invoxia NVX 610, which is made from glass and stainless steel, features six speakers and four microphones, 2 USB ports, and two Ethernet ports. The Android-friendly version will be out soon for roughly £500 or $599. Related Posts |
| Nexus 4 production reportedly halted, as LG is focusing on future smartphones, Nexus 5 included? Posted: 11 Jan 2013 06:00 AM PST
Android fans all over the world still waiting to purchase the Nexus 4 should better sit down for this particular rumor, as they would certainly not going to like to hear that LG may be shutting down Nexus 4 production months after launching the handset in order to focus on its own smartphones. Without telling us where it has gotten its information, the International Business Times says that Nexus 4 production "is alleged to have [been] halted,” with LG interested in building its next-gen devices. LG is apparently working on a variety of flagship devices, something we've heard of before, and the company plans to unveil some of them next month in Barcelona, at the next major event of the year, MWC 2013. Furthermore, LG hinted a few days ago at CES that the Nexus 4 is just "the first of many" such devices, and while it didn't specify when a next LG Nexus would arrive, it certainly did stir the mobile waters:
Is a Nexus 5 coming soon? Would it even make sense to see a Nexus 5 device at MWC? However, this is not evidence that Nexus 4 production has stopped, even though the handset is not available to order from the Google Play Store at this time. Not to mention that there are plenty of Nexus 4 buyers that are still waiting for their purchased smartphones to ship. Real or inflated popularity?Stopping production of a hot product, one that would still sell great in the coming months, is certainly not something you'd expect from the company making it, although at the same time we can't tell for sure how popular the Nexus 4 really is.
The Nexus 4 was sold out not once, but twice since being launched in late 2012. That happened in the U.S. but also in international markets. But Google didn't mention how many units it sold to date. Some ingenious hackers concluded that LG and Google have sold up to 500,000 Nexus 4 units so far, which is less than we would have anticipated considering the impressive response from potential buyers. When looking at Nokia Lumia 920 sales recently, we wondered whether the device was really in hot demand in the U.S., or whether its "popularity" was caused by deficient supply management in the region. It wouldn't be wrong to ask the same thing about the LG Nexus 4. No matter how hot the device is among Android users, has Google intentionally drove up popularity and hype by not ordering enough handsets from LG? Comparatively, the Galaxy S3 and the Galaxy Note 2 are just two of Android devices that are a lot more popular than the Nexus 4, most likely registering millions of sales in the last few months (actual numbers aren’t available at this time.) The previous-generation Nexus handset, the Samsung-made Galaxy Nexus saw plenty of hype before its delayed U.S. launched in late 2011 as well, but numbers revealed during one Apple vs Samsung trial that also targeted the third-gen Nexus handset revealed that the Galaxy Nexus wasn't a threat to Apple since its launch, with the device registering minuscule sales in the region compared to iPhone sales during the same period. Whatever the case is with Nexus 4 production, we'll certainly keep track of Nexus 4 availability in the following weeks/months, and we expect Google and/or LG to comment on the matter. Are you still looking to buy a Nexus 4, or are you already eyeing a different Android handset? Related Posts |
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