More mobile phones are morphing into portable computers, leading to a dramatic shift in the way people consume content on the move. Instead of buying ringtones for $3.99 and playing Pong, mobile subscribers are watching HD video, updating their statuses and “checking in” to venues. They’re choosing from hundreds of thousands of applications, many of them free. The shift presents huge opportunities for mobile content companies—online veterans as well as traditional media conglomerates—but also some new perils.
We’ll be exploring both the opportunities and the potential pitfalls during paidContent 2010 Mobile: Leveraging the Smartphone Boom, our full-day mobile conference in New York on July 20 at the Columbia University Faculty House. Will users already shelling out for apps and access continue to pay for this content – and will enough new users follow suit? Can paid compete with free? Will mobile advertising finally take off with Apple’s iAds and Google’s purchase of AdMob?
Other big questions loom: Should content be “made for mobile” or imported from print, TV and the web? How will carriers, accustomed to owning customer relationships, survive when handset makers, mobile-platform companies, even content providers want to wrest that power away? And how will the tablet wave led by the iPad change the playing field?
We’ll bring together decision makers who straddle the online and mobile worlds every day—creators, distributors, investors, carriers, handset makers, and developers – for a robust discussion about how companies new and old to mobile content can make the most of the smartphone boom. For more detail on the day’s program, go here.
Register today to take advantage of the $495 early- bird rate.
If you have speaker suggestions, please contact us at pcmobile AT paidcontent.org—and if you’re interested in sponsoring paidContent 2010 Mobile: Leveraging the Smartphone Boom, contact our ad department at advertising AT contentnext.com.
Special thanks to our paidContent 2010 Mobile presenting sponsor, Gigya.
As I start my transition out of ContentNext, I am also “transitioning” into travels. First mini-stop (prior to the actual world travels in July-Aug-Sep): Iceland for a week, starting tomorrow. As part of that I am in Reykjavik for a day, and then go up to the northwest part of the country in Westfjords, up to the Arctic Circle. And no, nowhere near the volcano. If anyone in the media/internet/tech community wants to meet up in Reykjavik, either on May 27th or 31st evening, let me know at rali AT paidcontent.org.
Separately, I am in London for a few days, after Iceland, and I have some requests for putting up a farewell meetup of sorts. The date we’re planning is June 2nd evening, but we need a venue. If you have any ideas or offers on it, send them to our UK editor Robert Andrews, at robert AT paidcontent.org. Once we find a venue, we’ll put up a registration page for it soon.
The very thought might send tremors of terror through your body, but studies show that the key to relieving stress is only a phone-call away — to your mother. According to recent research, the sound of your mom’s voice is just as good at helping … Read more
McNeil Consumer Health Care draws steps to remedy serious quality and safety lapses at their manufacturing facilities. They have been under investigation by the Food and Drug Administration due to the recalls they made for their over-the-counter drugs – Tylenol, Motrin and Benadryl. The company said in a statement, “McNeil is taking steps to bring its operation back to a level of quality that Johnson & Johnson demands of its companies, and that the public rightly expects of us, that we expect of ourselves.”
The steps include hiring an independent pharmaceutical consulting firm to identify corrective actions to improve quality and manufacturing systems at its Fort Washington facility. The company stated that they are also improving employee training in every part of the manufacturing and quality operations, and implementing new processes for conducting investigations on quality levels. They also stated that they have made organizational changes, however it was not specified. They also stated that they are working with an independent consultant on specific steps to improve overall quality which was termed as “remediation” period. There will also be a remediation committee responsible for implementing the plan for the plant and monitoring its effectiveness.
The FDA will be updated by the company on the progress of their plan for a month. There would also be an independent firm to help the company in making product decisions for the first months of the operation. McNeil said that they will conduct in-depth quality assessments for each product that the company manufactures to “ensure each product’s ability to meet specifications throughout its shelf life.”
It sounds like the issue of limited liability for BP is moot.
Both Reuters and The Guardian are reporting that according to legal documents and a close reading of the law, BP could be liable for some $4300/barrel that gushes into the water.
In the worst case scenario, says the Guardian, with oil gushing at over 100,000 barrels per day for more than two months, the oil giant could be looking at a $60 billion fine. Reuters arrives at a more conservative estimate of $10 billion.
Meanwhile, BP has already lost about $60 billion in market cap, but our guess is that if the ultimate fine were to be at the high end of the range, the stock would have a lot further to fall.
An excerpt from the Nightline interview of Jesse James came out. This is his first interview since the Academy Award winning actress Sandra Bullock filed for divorce.
James claimed that he never wanted to harm Sandra or his kids. But as like the previous videos of Jesse James, people around the world were not swayed from their “absolute dislike” of him.
At one point of the interview, Vicky Mabrey asks James about his feeling towards the fact that he is one of the most hated men in America. James replied the he thinks he is the most hated man not only in America, but in the world.
A footage from James’ Nightline interview leaks to the internet. The video includes Jesse James claiming that he wanted Bullock to catch him cheating on her. The scandal effectively ended the five-year relationship between the two.
James will also answer questions regarding the “Nazi salute” photo which is quite a topic on the web for days. There were comments regarding racism because of the said photo.
James talks about the pain of losing about Louis, the child that he and Sandra adopted.
If you wondered what Google meant when they said the Nexus One would be getting “more retail availability”, just take a quick look at the image above. That’s right, it’s an advertisement for a Nexus One sold through a retail channel! Oh my! When did this happen you might ask? Well, it appears wireless retailer and T-Mobile affiliate i Wireless has started offering a number of Android devices in the past few days, including the Nexus One. I Wireless is now selling the phone for $299.95 on contract after rebate — a good bit more than the $179 Google charges, but in return, it looks like you can select just about any plan T-Mobile offers (Google restricts you to the Even More 500 plan to get the subsidy). This is a pretty good deal if you ask me.
So, anyone want to head over the i Wireless and pick one up?
3G Issues Proving to be Super Phone’s Kryptonite It seems that the 3G issues that the Nexus One continues to have may be hardware related. According to an article at TmoNews, Nexus One users are able to change their 3G signal levels just by how the…
The IcePics iPhone app automatically sends photos and current coordinates to preselected individuals. This is supposed to keep you safe and alert friends if someone creepy approaches you in a dark alley, but there’s a more amusing use: Party photography. More »
The bulls mounted an extremely impressive run in the final minutes of the US trading day, but momentum appears to be stalling out after hours.
After initially surging, the Nikkei has given up the lion’s share of its gains.
S&P futures had been higher, but are now basically flat since the 4:00 PM ET close.
The world’s hottest measure of risk, the Aussie dollar, is also giving up its recent gains.
So what’s going on?
ForexLive points out that Ben Bernanke is speaking in Tokyo and made a comment about now wanting dollar-swap lines to be permanent. But that’s pretty minor, and his speech as a whole, which is about central bank independence, is pretty mild. Read the whole thing here.
If that’s all it takes to spook the market, we’re still on very fragile ground.
Meanwhile, Korea’s KOSPI, which the world is watching due to war tensions, is off just modestly.
For a roundup of what happened during the US trading day, see here.
In a press release put out today, Entourage systems, creator of the world’s first Android powered “dual book,” announced that they have partnered with The Douglas Stewart Company to bring the “dual book” to colleges and schools. It seems that both Entourage Systems and The Douglas Stewart Company want to integrate the “dualbook” with educational media when selling it to educational institutions. Seems like a good idea.
Besides running Android, the interesting thing about this device is that it is both a netbook and e-reader in one. On one side of the device you have an e-paper read out, capable of displaying electronic ink files, and on the other side, you have a fully functional Android tablet. How well it runs is yet to be seen.
Overall, the “dualbook” seems like an interesting concept, which has quite a bit of promise. I really hope it succeeds.. Take a look at the video and let us know what you think! Go Android!
Might We Suggest…
WePad changes name to WeTab Remember that pretty Android tablet that was announced a few weeks ago called the “WePad”?
A friend of mine is tablet shopping, and she was interested in the iPad. I suggested she wait for the WePa…
Vegetarian eating is a healthy alternative but only if you eat in a healthy and balanced way. Yes, there are many health benefits to eating this way. Eating vegetarian makes sense from a good health and nutritional point of view.
Vegetarians eat plant foods like vegetables, fruits, and grain although some do not include onions, garlic and chives. Generally there are three styles of Vegetarianism based on other foods allowed as listed below:
• Vegans are the strictest – they abstain from all animal foods, dairy products and eggs. • Lacto vegetarians consume dairy products. • Ovolacto vegetarians supplements with eggs and dairy products
Prudent vegetarianism is highly beneficial. Studies show that vegetarians live longer, have lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and register lower incidents of obesity, heart diseases, certain cancers, stroke and diabetes. These are not surprising as vegetarian diet contain less saturated fat, fewer calories, less sugar and more fibers.
Now before anybody starts it is important to understand how to plan a well balanced vegetarian diet. Pregnant women, teenagers and young children should seek proper nutritional guidance before embarking on it.
The main concern in a vegetarian diet is protein. It is needed to build body tissues and consists of units called amino acids. Compared to animal protein like meat, plant foods generally lack certain amino acids. Hence, vegetarians, especially vegans, must eat a variety of plant proteins to get a complete set of amino acids. Soyabeans, a high quality protein, and its products like tofu and soya milk may feature frequently in vegetarian meals.
Vitamin B12 also needs monitoring for its deficiency causes anemia. As animal foods are the only reliable sources of vitamin B12 substitutes like vitamin B12 enriched breakfast cereals are ideal. Furthermore, these cereals are also fortified with iron absorption; one must ensure an adequate supply of vitamin C in diet. Other good sources of iron are spinach, raisins and pulses. For non-dairy product eaters, calcium intake may be obtained from alternatives like sawi, spinach and kalian. If seafood is omitted, zinc required for the immune system is obtainable from whole grains, nuts and soyabeans.
Sprouts contain reproductive power that is of vital importance to human lives and their health. Germinated seeds enormously increase the nutritional value and digestibility. There is an amazing increase the nutritional value and digestibility. There is an amazing increase in nutrients in sprouted pulses as compared to their dried form. In the process of germination the vitamins, minerals and protein increase substantially with corresponding decrease in carbohydrate content. Cooked sprouts (steamed) are best to digest and avail maximum proteins.
Sprouts help in the growth of muscles and tissue of the body. They increase the resistance to diseases and play an important role in rejuvenation of cells.
Benefits of Vegetarian Eating
• Overweight people who have tried a vegetarian diet have lost weight and kept is off. • Diabetes achieves normal blood sugar levels, reducing insulin requirements. • People with high BP, diminished or eliminated their BP medications because BP was normalized. • People with high cholesterol showed lowered cholesterol levels. • In a majority of people with elevated homocyteine, levels were reduced, which is an improvement without the use of medication. • Overall endurance, strength, stamina, energy and sense of well-being achieved.
Nick Mutt is an active writer and blogger on health related topics. He has published many ebooks on natural health.
Good sports diet for a vegetarian?
Soccer starts in less than two months and I want to feel my best for tryouts. Any ideas of what to eat to get enough vitamins and minerals leading up to soccer? Thanks!
By the way, I still eat eggs and milk however I have very little so I’m closer to a vegan but not quite.
Awesome…another veggie soccer player! Glad to see that. First of all, regarding Dirtyleg’s answer: I don’t think she’s gonna EAT the ball. Sorry, I couldn’t resist that one. Anyway…
FRUIT is the ultimate food for the athlete. For one thing, it is the best source for vitamins(since you asked about that), and nearly good enough on minerals. I would include tender greens such as lettuce and celery for that.
Don’t believe the nonsense about protein. It is pretty much impossible not to have enough protein. To anyone who thinks that people like you and I lack protein, I would love to get on the soccer field with them myself, and have a little fun, if you know what I mean.
Listen, I know an athlete/trainer/doctor/ researcher/author/superb nutritional mind in his 50’s (who has recently written a book you should get) who trained professional athletes(including record-holders) for most of his life, and controlled and monitored their diets as well. I have attended many of his lectures, and even one of his fitness camps. He found overwhelmingly that a low-fat diet of raw fruits and veggies was best for athletes(and anyone else).
The man’s name is Douglas N. Graham, and his new book is The 80/10/10 Diet. You can get it from livingnutrition.com. I have been way into nutrition for a long time, and I think he is definitely the best, with the possible exception of his wife, Roz Gruben-Graham. I have read a lot about nutrition, and I think this book can take the place of all my other books. And I don’t make a claim like that lightly.
Anyway, I am a soccer player myself. It is easily my favorite sport. I am 33 now. I played all thru high school, including competitive, then life got in the way. But last fall I took up coaching my nephew’s U-8 boys team. Well, I like to be an active coach, working on the field with them. And doing this really lit the fire under me again to play. I even found some days to go down to the field and just workout by myself. I loved it!
I have been veggie for 11 years, and doing the fruit thing for about the last 4-5 years. Let me tell you, I am athletically better than ever. I am planning on getting back into college again soon to get a teaching credential, and while there, I now fully plan on trying out for the men’s soccer team!
My strength and stamina are better than ever, and my mind is sharper as well. I also don’t require as much sleep, and don’t get sick. I have to say, I like my chances. This diet has really helped. I make whole meals out of fruit every day, and consume about 2600 cals/day. There is plenty of everything you need(to go into all the specifics of that would require a whole book). And you were smart to ask about vits and mins, instead of going directly to protein and fat, like so many others.
Most Americans have a deficiency of vits, mins, and water, and an excess of protein, and fat. A fresh fruit and veg diet is perfect for that.
Listen, I really think you should get that book. His science is very solid, and he has a very logical, down-to-earth approach. And his emphasis is not just to be vegan, but to be athletic, too. I think it is just what you are looking for. If nothing else, you will get some great nutrition facts.
Or…..if all this sounds like too much, then I would just say INCREASE the PERCENTAGE of fresh fruit in your diet as much as you can stand. That’s all. Don’t be afraid to think of fruit as a main course, or even an entire meal. I know it is counter to American programming to think of it that way. It was a jolt for me, too. But it really works! I now do it all the time. The more you do it, the more it will help you.
Feel free to read some more of my answers on here. This kind of thing has come up a lot with fruit. That’s what most of my answers are about.
Good luck!
[phpbay]best vegetarian vitamins, 100[/phpbay] Raw Vegetable Wraps with Collard Greens and Tahini Sauce
Best Vegetarian Vitamins is a post from the Vegetarian Vitamins Guide blog where you can find suggestions and advice from vegetarians and vegans on vegetarian diets, supplements, vitamins and overall nutrition.
We’ve heard that Google was planning on axing its online phone store, and now some are worried that since the AT&T Nexus One is “temporarily not available,” they are actually starting to close down the store. While browsing earlier, I went to Google’s site to check out the Nexus One for AT&T since I’d been considering purchasing one for a while now. When I got to Google’s phone store, instead of being presented with the option to purchase the device I was met with a message that said “Sorry, this item is temporarily not available.” Feeling disappointed, I opened up a tab and began to scour eBay for a used Nexus. After searching the Google support forums, however, I founda messagefrom a Google employee named Ry Guy stating that they “should have more in stock within the next few days.” So don’t worry, you won’t have buy an unlocked T-Mobile version and be stuck on EDGE with AT&T.
As if there isn’t enough social networking spam already, the True Blood Season 2 Blu-Ray discs come with a feature that allows people to automatically share their vampire obsession on Twitter and Facebook—complete with “transformed” photos. More »
AT&T made it known several months ago that they would be launching an Android-exclusive from HTC, but few details have been revealed since then. We saw the HTC PC70110 (pictured above) pass through the FCC with AT&T 3G bands and it sounds like that device could become the HTC Aria.
A trusted tipster has informed PhoneDog that AT&T will unveil the Aria at an event on June 7th. Look for this device to feature Android 2.1 with HTC’s Sense UI and a full QWERTY keyboard.
The Motorola Backflip is AT&T’s only Android phone and many customers have been waiting for a more high-end device. I’m having a hard time getting excited about any Android phone on AT&T, but hopefully the Aria improves upon the unique experience offered by the Backflip.
Tina Fey will receive this year’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Fey, at the age of 40, will be the youngest and the third female recipient of the award. Mark Krantz, co-executive producer of the Twain salute, states “It does change the paradigm a bit. A lot of people felt it was a lifetime achievement award for an old person. It never has been. It is a prize, really, about somebody’s depth and talent.” Fey’s response to the award was, “I assume Betty White was disqualified for steroid use.”
Tina Fey graduated in the University of Virginia and further improved her skills with the Second City improv troupe in Chicago. She had been a part of the “Saturday Night Live” skit laboratory and became the first female head writer for the show. She had been the executive producer and cast member of “30 Rock” which brought her five Emmys, two Golden Globes and four Screen Actors Guild Awards. She had also in the movies “Mean Girls”, “Baby Mama” and “Date Night”. Her popularity soared in 2008 when she made her impersonations of the Republican vice-presidential hopefulSarah Palin.
“Like Mark Twain, Tina Fey offers her brilliance unconditionally,” said David M. Rubenstein, chairman of Kennedy Center. “Throughout her career, she’s earned legions of fans for her quick, unapologetic wit and social commentary.” Fey will receive the award on November 9.
Like most of the motoring world, our automotive lives really got off the ground at age 13. We suddenly realized that in just three short years, we would be legally allowed to drive our very own cars, and that revelation started a chain reaction of magazines, posters and models that eventually led to our first set of keys. We may have even been known to sketch a barely recognizable dream car or two. We weren’t, however, cranking out professional-grade renderings of a Le Mans version of the Porsche 918 Spyder Concept.
Here’s the deal: Team Speed forum user PorscheCarreraGTMay6 has been so kind as to share his vision of what a genuine Porsche hybrid racer might look like. That’s all fine and good. After all, the internet is awash with plenty of Photoshopped what-ifs, but what makes these really special is that A) the person claims to be 13 years-old and B) the renders are drop-dead gorgeous and C) there’s a good chance we’re going to see a 918 Spyder racer within the next few years. The user even cranked out a YouTube video and a solid description of the reasoning behind the model.
You can check out the full forum thread here, and be sure to hop the jump to see the video for yourself. Keep your eyes out. If this kid is actually 13 years-old, they’re going to set the auto world on fire.
Led by increases in prices for meat and dairy products, the overall cost of items in the FOX Business shopping cart rose sharply in April — the sixth time food basket prices have increased in the last seven months.
The April increase — 56 cents, or 0.8% — was the largest month-month jump since August 2008.
As an avid user and supporter of Boxee for my HTPC needs, the announcement of Google TV left me wondering how I was going to be able to combine both the best interface for an HTPC hands down with my beloved Android platform. The guys over at Boxee are WAY ahead of me it turns out!
We obviously followed the [GoogleTV] announcement and the demo. We think that it would be great to see an open OS such as Android gain market share in the living room. It would enable users to download Boxee on their TV (we will be building an Android-based App) and start using it without the hassle of connecting their computer to the TV.
We have somewhat of a different view of browsing the web on TV. While it was a big part of the Google Demo we believe browsing the web as-is makes more sense on laptops and mobile devices (due to their personal nature, the screen size and the input device) than it does on TV. We look forward to playing with the TV and working with them to bringing Boxee to Android devices.
You read correctly. if there’s a TV platform running on TVs that can deliver a great Boxee experience then we want to be there. Thatmeanswe’relookingatdevelopinganAndroidAppversionofBoxeefortheupcomingGoogleTV. [emphasis added]
I wanted to make sure I read that correctly. I’ve heard they are working on an Android remote app similar to the one they have on the iPhone, but this sounds like something different:
You read correctly. if there’s a TV platform running on TVs that can deliver a great Boxee experience then we want to be there. Thatmeanswe’relookingatdevelopinganAndroidAppversionofBoxeefortheupcomingGoogleTV. [emphasis added]
It will be interesting to see what this Boxee app is going to look like. It sounds like Boxee is going to leverage the Sony TV’s that are going to have Android built into them so people can run thier Boxee app without any computer necessary. This would be a major step forward for Boxee, and sounds like an incredible idea to capitalize on all the risk that Google is taking with Google TV, at no risk to themselves.
I am getting more and more excited about Google TV, especially as I see useful, practical applications being thought about. Stay tuned for more details as they come out.
Might We Suggest…
Google TV Coming to a Set Top Near You! Google is reportedly teaming up with Sony and Intel to create a set top box based on the Android OS to bring home viewers rich web content via Android like apps right on their TV screen….
My parents told me to never talk politics with people you don’t know…or people you do know for that matter. As such, I’m not going to reveal my political tendencies, who my favorite candidate is, or whether I agree or disagree with the current health care reform legislation. What I will do, however, is suggest that no matter whether or not you agree with President Obama’s beliefs or objectives, one of the better things he has brought to the American people is a growing interest in social activism. Love him or hate him, more and more people are becoming more active in making the world a better place (as defined by themselves of course).
Sunlight Labs, an open-source community of developers and designers aimed at opening up government to make it more transparent, accountable, and responsible, released an Android application entitled Congress, which is aimed at getting Android users more involved in government. Currently in version 2.2, Congress allows users to find and call their elected officials using their location and read the latest bills and laws that have gone through or are currently going through the U.S. Congress.
Unlike the real congress, the Congress Android app is intuitive and user-friendly. Everything seems to just work. Sunlight Labs has a team of open-source developers who are constantly evaluating user feedback and are rapidly introducing bugfixes and new features.
The main screen allows you to search for new laws, legislation that has newly been introduced to congress, and even view the results from the latest congressional votes. The legislation pages gives a brief overview of the legislation, significant dates in the bill’s journey to becoming law, who the congressional sponsor was, and a summary of what the bill will actually do.
It also allows you to search for legislators by location, state, zip code, or legislator name. The legislator page features a profile image of the congressperson, one-click access to calling their office, visiting their website, viewing bills that they have sponsored, and what committees they are currently serving on. It also allows you to view recent news stories and YouTube videos involving the legislator.
Final Verdict: Yes, I’m skipping over the pros and cons mostly because I think this app is absolutely fantastic. If you’re an activist or are simply interested in political issues, you owe it to yourself and, dare I say it, your country, to download this app.
Congress can be found for free on the Android market.
The nation’s top environmental regulator says she’s as anxious as everyone else to see if Wednesday’s planned operation by BP to plug its damaged Gulf of Mexico pipeline will stop the flow of oil into the sea.
“Like so many people down there, I am praying that it is successful,” EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson told Fox News late Tuesday. “Because we cannot get in front of this thing until BP stops that leak.”
Jackson spoke shortly after her return to the Washington-area following her third trip to the Gulf region since last month’s explosion of a BP oil rig that led to the calamitous spill. Jackson said she was unaware of a controversy about the video transmission of the oil company’s “top kill” plan. BP has since decided to broadcast that live feed.
The EPA’s involvement in the oil spill is just one part of the overall federal response and is the agency that may ultimately have the imprimatur to punish BP. A recent report by ProPublica says the EPA is reconsidering its position on BP over other outstanding environmental disputes. The article highlights the EPA’s authority to enact sanctions–known as debarment–against BP including the suspension of all federal contracts and leases.
Debarment is an administrative measure that in its most severe application would essentially declare BP institutionally incapable of complying with federal environmental laws. An EPA official didn’t immediately respond to a request from Fox News about the agency’s current position on BP and the debarment process.
Jackson was asked if she felt BP was on the whole, a responsible economic steward. “I don’t see how I can make that judgment about a company that’s having what could well be the biggest environmental disaster this country has ever seen. I mean it is too soon to write what it was but certainly as it unfolds, I don’t think anybody could call them a steward that’s responsible when oil is leaking into the Gulf the way it is right now.”
Several days ago, Jackson issued a directive calling on BP to reduce the amount of chemical dispersants it was using to contain oil that had already leaked into the water. Jackson said the company has complied with her order and reduced its use of chemicals from nearly 70 thousand gallons each day to less than 15 thousand.
“I think that is entirely a result of us making it clear that the time for using dispersants freely was over,” Jackson said.
So what’s going on?
Tina Fey will receive this year’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Fey, at the age of 40, will be the youngest and the third female recipient of the award. Mark Krantz, co-executive producer of the Twain salute, states “It does change the paradigm a bit. A lot of people felt it was a lifetime achievement award for an old person. It never has been. It is a prize, really, about somebody’s depth and talent.” Fey’s response to the award was, “I assume Betty White was disqualified for steroid use.”
