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In order to
shine a light on malaria prevention efforts, Nothing But Nets is joining World Malaria Awareness Day
on April 25, 2010, and the Sleep Out to End Malaria
campaign. Sleep Outs can take many forms – soccer tournaments, speakers, camp
outs, bake sales or screenings of the new cutting-edge documentary, When the Night Comes.
The names of all those who register for the Sleep Out to End Malaria will be
hand delivered to Congress on April 20, 2010. Encourage your congregation to
host a World Malaria Awareness Day event and don’t forget to order your complimentary fundraising
materials!

A tipster sent this in, and we have to say, it’s probably the best title we’ve ever seen for a report.

An assistant at the office of Steve Fleishman confirmed that indeed this is real.

Join the conversation about this story »

Overview

What’s Good: Great entry-level smartphone; fantastic battery life; free Ovi Maps.

What’s Bad: Resistive touchscreen can be a bit frustrating to use at times.

Introduction

Every now and then, I’ll receive a call from a family member, asking about the newest smartphone on the market.  Typically, the calls are what I call “curiosity calls” – it’s something they’ve seen on television, but they’re not interested in owning one.  Smartphones have long been regarded as a tool for the tech-savvy youngster, the traveling businessman, and the busy prosumer.  The Nokia Nuron 5230, on the other hand, joins mainstream devices like the Apple iPad and Palm Pixi Plus in that it appeals to the first-time smartphone buyer, or someone who doesn’t require the latest and the greatest.  The Nuron is a no-frills smartphone that’s designed to deliver a solid bang for the buck, and it accomplishes that goal quite well.

Design & Features

Coming in at 4.37 inches long by 2.03 inches wide by 0.61 inch thick, the device weighs 3.98 ounces, making it perfect for a tight pocket or a purse.  The Nuron offers a 3.2-inch resistive touchscreen with 360 x 640 pixels and 16.7 million colors.  It’s not a 3.7-inch screen by any means, but it’s perfect for a casual phone user.  When conducting a long phone call, I found the unit to be quite comfortable against my ear.

The Nuron sports a nice, polished form factor with white and grey accents.  The top of the unit contains the power button, 3.5mm headphone jack, and microUSB and charging ports.  The left side of the unit houses the SIM card slot and microSD card slot (with support for up to 16 GB), while the right side of the unit contains the volume rocker, unlock button, and camera shortcut key.  The front of the device offers a send key, menu button, and end key.  The decision to make the SIM card and microSD card slots accessible from the left side of the device versus placing them behind the battery was a smart one, in my opinion.

Usability & Performance

The Nokia Nuron ships with Symbian 3.  Though relatively tired design-wise, Symbian is decent for day-to-day tasks, and is a good OS given the target demographic of the device.  The downside to Symbian is that many find it relatively challenging to use (versus other smartphone operating systems on the market), leading to a somewhat longer learning curve versus other devices.  The Nuron offers a number of shortcut icons on the main screen that make it easy for the user to navigate to popular services.  Adding to the benefits, device also offers Nokia’s free Ovi Maps service – a nice savings over competitors like VZ Navigator and AT&T Navigator (both of which are $9.99 monthly).  The maps are downloaded onto the device prior to use, so you can navigate with or without active service.  On the topic of Ovi services, the Nuron 5230 offers access to Nokia’s Ovi Store.  With distributors contributing content from over 65 countries, the app store is quickly growing.

The keyboard on the Nokia Nuron offers an ample amount of tactile feedback, though it’s arranged a bit differently than the traditional QWERTY.  Consolidated into four rows, the space bar is centered to the right, and the keyboard letters are centered to the left side of the screen.  After a few days, I was able to get used to it and type with a reasonable amount of speed, but it may be frustrating for those that send e-mails or text messages on a regular basis.  Part of the keyboard learning curve could be attributed to the resistive touchscreen.  Though it performed decently in most tasks, it was frustrating to use, as it was rather unresponsive at times.

The device ships with a 2.0-megapixel camera, and in my testing, image quality was mediocre, given the lack of a flash. Editing options include image quality, scene modes (automatic, user defined, portrait, landscape, sports, night), along with other editing options (show grid, color tone, self-timer, white balance, exposure, light sensitivity, contrast, sharpness, and sequence).  Video quality was medicore as well, though it should be fine for a casual video on the go.

The Nuron was tested in the Charlotte area using T-Mobile, and call quality was very good.  Callers were able to hear me well, and I had no problems hearing them on my end.  When visiting a known T-Mobile trouble spot in the Charlotte metropolitan area, I had trouble initiating calls.  When testing the speakerphone in a bustling restaurant, I was able to hear my callers without issue.  I successfully paired my Plantronics Voyager Pro Bluetooth headset to the device without a problem, and callers said that I sounded equally clear.

The Nokia Nuron offers 3G HSDPA connectivity on T-Mobile, so browsing speeds were very strong. The mobile CNN webpage loaded in about nine seconds, and the PhoneDog homepage loaded in 27 seconds. Other data-intensive tasks such as the Ovi Store and Telenav performed admirably.

The device offers a 1320mAh battery with a rated talk time of 7 hours with HSDPA (3G) connectivity, and about 18 days of standby time.  With moderate to heavy use including calling, text messaging, browsing the internet, and use of the Ovi Store, I was able to get just under three days out of it before it powered down.  When it comes to battery life, the Nuron is absolutely fantastic.

Conclusion

The Nokia Nuron 5230 is a fantastic device for newcomers to the smartphone market.  Sure, it’s not the device for a power-hungry smartphone aficionado, but Mom could find a lot to like in this device.  With stellar battery life and a plethora of PIM applications, the Nuron could make for a great companion to the frequent traveler.  At present, it is free when purchased online (new, two-year agreement required), making it a fantastic option.  While T-Mobile offers a 14-day return policy, be sure to check the device out in-store prior to purchasing.

It’s up. This time we discuss lactose intolerance in ancient Swedes. Dave has submitted it to iTunes, so I’ll put a notice up when that’s ready.

Ford collaborates with electric utilities on infrastructure to support its emerging EVs. …

… “The comments underscore the intensifying pressure within the auto industry to attack the hurdles facing mass adoption of electric vehicles while the Obama administration continues to tighten emission standards. ” …

Via Wall Street Journal: Electric-Vehicle Charging Infrastructure

Insights on Ford’s electric vehicle strategy and the tactics required to create industry cooperation. …

Ford Plan For Eectric Cars via Jalopnik: “Ford already has other collaborations and partnerships to accelerate the commercialization of electrified vehicles. ”

At the opening panel discussion of the third annual Fortune Brainstorm Green conference, moderator and green business guru Marc Gunther gave the leaders of four major environmental groups a golden opportunity – a clear platform to tell businesses what they really want. The answer from all four leaders was unanimous, loud and clear – business needs to stand up now and support climate legislation that would place a mandatory cap on carbon emission and unleash innovation and clean technology solutions.

The discussion between the heads of Environmental Defense Fund, The Nature Conservancy, NRDC and the Sierra Club followed a one-on-one session with Time Inc.’s Editor-in-Chief John Huey and former Walmart CEO Lee Scott about Walmart’s path towards sustainability over the past several years. The substantive work that Walmart has done on this front was a perfect backdrop to the environmentalists’ panel by proving that businesses can play a pivotal role in creating a more sustainable planet for us all.

“[Every business] should think hard about [its] core business capabilities – every business can have good environmental outcomes and good business outcomes,” noted Mark Tercek of the Nature Conservancy.

Other points of discussion and debate included the odds of Congress passing a climate bill by this time next year (about 50%, according to three out of the four panelists), the promise and pitfalls of ramping up nuclear energy in this country and why environmental concerns continue to rank low among Americans. A quick wrap-up question probed the environmental issues and trends businesses should be tracking in the near future, which include water consumption, resource efficiency and energy production costs, among others.

Energy efficiency, the “low hanging fruit” of environmental sustainability, continues to present a major opportunity for business. When you see a company like Walmart saving so much around energy efficiency, it makes you wonder why all companies aren't taking advantage of these opportunities to slash costs, increase productivity and minimize carbon and waste. “At what point does dealing with wasted energy become a fiduciary responsibility for corporate boards?” queried David Yarnold, executive director of EDF.
See more from David Yarnold in his interview with Poppy Harlow of CNN.

What other trends should smart businesses watch for in coming months and years? Send us your ideas, and we’ll share them here at Brainstorm Green this week.

This is the first of several posts from our staff attending Brainstorm Green.

Seismologists said they are studying the uptick but cannot fully explain
it. Major earthquakes tend to occur in cycles, and experts have said
the region in recent years has been in a quiet cycle when it comes to
sizable temblors.

The string of quakes this year raises the possibility that Southern
California might again be entering a more active seismic period.
Scientists said the increase does not mean the Big One is any more
imminent, but it could mean more significant quakes are on the way.

Times Staff Writer Cara Mia DiMassa looks at the numbers in the video above. Here is her story.

Times are tough everywhere, it seems. Even behind the gilded gates of Hollywood estates, the tax man cometh and the shadow of foreclosure looms large. Now, two of Tinseltown’s higher-profile oddballs, Pamela Anderson and Nicolas Cage, are both feeling the sting of the economic downturn.

First, a newly released from the California Franchise Tax Board includes Ms. Anderson among the list of folks owing more thatn $100,000 in back taxes to the state. According to the document, a lien of $493,144 was filed against the former Baywatch babe last April.

Perhaps that’s why she’s trying to regain some popularity by hoofing it on Dancing With the Stars (a show whose title I’ve always found a bit specious)?

Meanwhile, over in crazy-actor-land, not only has Nicolas Cage lost his sprawling Bel-Air mansion to foreclosure, the new owners were unable to dump it off to the highest bidder at an auction last week.

Cage could probably take a few lessons from HGTV on how to dress his home for potential buyers.

“The design was ‘frat house bordello,’ ” said one real estate agent who had the pleasure of touring the property. “There must have been 300 comic book covers elaborately framed and hanging on the walls.”

Foreclosure auction of Nicolas Cage’s mansion is a flop [L.A. Times]

Pamela Anderson owes more than $493,000 in back taxes, named a delinquent taxpayer [NY Daily News]

Kirstie Alley “feels good” about the engagement of her 17-year-old son, True, who plans to wed his girlfriend once the young lovers turn 18 later this year.

(One of those carb-filled snacks Kirstie’s been scarfing down must have wiped out the girl’s common sense. Kids getting married this young is almost always a disaster waiting to happen…..)

In an appearance on Tuesday’s Ellen, the unlucky-in-love reality star says she fully supports True’s decision to get married because he and his fiancée are “really in love.”

“True’s got a level head. He’s a good guy. He’s very monogamous, and he’s very sweet with her,” Kirstie told Ellen. “You know, I was married at was I was just 19 years old and that didn’t work. Then I was married when I was 30 years old and that’s when everyone said you should get married and that didn’t work. So, I don’t think I’m an expert on the subject. So, I think if somebody’s in love and wants to be married then let them be in love and get married.”

Kirstie adopted True – whose real name is William True Stevenson – along with daughter Lillie Price, 15, during her marriage to Parker Stevenson, who she divorced in 1997. Kirstie only hopes that True and his bride-to-be do not inherit her ill-fated history with relationships. Alley once said of True: “I’m sooo lucky..my SON LOVES and respects women and he actually cherishes them..he is a DREAM to be around..for both men and women.”

The former Fat Actress star is currently starring in Kirstie Alley’s Big Life on A&E.

Everywhere we look, there are reports touting the soon-to-be dominance (or at least, spectacular growth) of the Android App market. The latest, from mobile ad network-turned metrics guru, AdMob, boasts that Android’s share of the app market has grown 12 fold in the last year, from 2% in February of 2009 to 24% in February 2010, mainly at the expense of Symbian.

These are tremendous statistics, and sure to give every Android app developer the warm and fuzzies, but there is a stark reality to this growth, as well as the statistic from Mobile Entertainment’s Guide to Android that there are 2-3X as many free Android apps as there are iPhone apps, which are now or eventually will be ad-supported. As any freshmen Economics student will tell you, that kind of dramatic increase in supply, without a similar increase in demand, results in significant downward pressure on price.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that there are three major developments in the mobile advertising market that will help to secure the future of ad-supported Android apps well into the future.

The first is that, according to Nexage Metrics, application inventory is selling at a substantial premium to mobile web inventory. In the month of January 2010, application inventory, on average, sold for 50-75% more than mobile web inventory. It’s an engaging environment for the user, and offers a great branding and direct response atmosphere for the advertiser… a winning combination that’s translating into more ad dollars.

The second is that the nature of mobile advertising selling and buying is shifting in favor of the publisher and app developer. Ad mediation and optimization services are creating both scalable and effective solutions for app developers to monetize their content without diverting resources and focus from their core competency – developing great apps.

The ad network business model didn’t fit the size or scalability of most app developers who were forced to choose between low fill rates, albeit with little resource investment, or decent fill rates earned at the expense of a dedicated team member’s time and attention.

Ad mediation companies have taken the best parts of the ad networks – huge amounts of targeted, global inventory – but made them scalable by offering a single point of integration and reporting.

Further, the optimization layer goes one step further than traditional ad exchanges to enhance the yield of app inventory. Rather than finding a price match for the inventory, an optimization platform will select for the highest yielding ad network to fill the inventory, exacting upward price pressure and staving off eCPM erosion… all without diverting resources from actual app development.

The third development is yet to be realized, but with the rate of change in the industry, it will likely be the standard by the time you’re reading this article. When utilized appropriately, data enhancement overlaid on a mobile ad impression will take targeted advertising to a new level, creating as yet untapped value for all participants in the value chain – from the consumer who will receive relevant offers and be more apt to respond to the publisher, advertiser, and ad networks, who will see increased returns on their investments. To date, online behavioral and re-targeting strategies have largely been successful in a handful of verticals, such as automotive, telecom, retail, and travel. Mobile has the unique advantage and capacity to tie elements such as location, time, and past interests/purchases together which are game changing ingredients for both consumers and advertisers.

There’s no question that the continued growth of the Android app market is going to have an enormous impact on mobile advertising – bringing huge quantities of targeted, global inventory into a burgeoning marketplace. However, in order to make it a truly vibrant and sustainable marketplace, it’s requisite that the sellers of that inventory have the tools and the knowledge to capitalize on their asset and investment, generating capital to fuel the next generation of great Android apps.

This article was submitted by Nexage CEO, Dev Gandhi.

Related Posts

• AppBrain Market Sync: A great concept for installing apps
• Android app review: Blow Up
• New doubleTwist integrates Android Market
• AppBrain: One third of Android Market apps are spam
• Canadians like to buy Android apps. Will they be able to sell them soon?

The new ARRI Alexa, a $60,000 professional 2K camera, shows off its chops in this gorgeous footage of a violin maker at work. The amazing part? You’re seeing the camera working with the light of two, 100W desk lamps. More »

Mortgage rates for 30-year fixed mortgages fell this week, with the current rate borrowers were quoted on Zillow Mortgage Marketplace at 4.88%, down from 5.08% at this same time last week. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose last week, spiking Sunday at 5.05 percent before falling to 4.88 percent Monday.

Additionally, the 15-year fixed mortgage rate on Tuesday morning was 4.29% and for 5/1 ARMs, 3.49%.

What are the rates right now? Check Zillow Mortgage Marketplace for up-to-the-minute mortgage rates for your state.

Twitter is asking you, its users, if you have 140 seconds to answer seven simple questions about its service. Now, in calmer times, a simple user survey might just pass by unnoticed, but with all the hubbub over the past week about Twitter buying Tweetie, Fred Wilson’s over-analyzed blog post and the unveiling of Twitter’s ad platform, everyone’s looking for clues as to Twitter’s next move.

Sponsor

The survey wants to know what third-party clients you’ve used in the past, what ones you would recommend, what types of people you follow on Twitter, what types you want to find more of, and your primary (and secondary) reason for using the service.

The immediate conclusion to jump to, from these questions, is that Twitter is eyeballing other apps, either to buy outright or to work with on its ad platform. It still remains to be seen how Twitter ads will play out in third-party clients and Twitter could be getting some market data for precisely that reason. Another way to look at it is, we get to see what third-party clients and services are on Twitter’s radar and exactly how the company sees itself.

For example, when the survey asks who you follow, you can choose between actors, celebs, coworkers, industry experts, family, friends, local businesses, musicians and news sources. What about government agencies and political figures? The hundreds if not thousands of absolutely hilarious joke, humor accounts, like Shit My Dad Says and Drunk Hulk?

In the end, we’re just as interested in the answers to these questions as Twitter is and we’re hoping the company releases the data to the public at some point. Not likely, but we can hope, right?

One final note, if you do fill out the survey you have the option of giving your Twitter name and an email address to possibly be added to testing of new products in the future – for that reason alone, I’m willing to tell Twitter what my favorite clients are.

Discuss

so I was browsing around the net and I happened to see a video over at pocketnow showing off the kin2, but what actually caught my eyes happened 13 to 13 seconds into the video: http://i39.tinypic.com/6qaag5.png

Excuse my drawing…I didn’t have a straight edge but seriously though, it doesn’t seem as if they’re using the toast notification system they showed off for windows phone 7. It is a bit strange to me that it doesn’t seem of if they are using it. This modal notification forces the user to deal with the notification first then go back to what he or she was doing before. this type of notification has it’s benefits but also has many draw backs depending on how it’s actually implemented.
b7,

This post was submitted by Lennard.