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Saturday, May 4, 2013

The reason Facebook Home exists

Facebook Home Analysis

Facebook Home has its fair share of critics. But while I personally can?t stand Facebook as a service, I am not one of them. Home takes over the user?s Android smartphone and replaces the home screen with an unending stream of full-screen Facebook photos and status updates posted by friends. The first version of Facebook?s new Android software clearly has some kinks that need to be ironed out, but Facebook has more incentive than it could ever need to get the job done.

[More from BGR: Google?s X Phone revealed in new photos]

A quick glance at the company?s first-quarter earnings report reveals that mobile revenue now accounts for nearly one-third of Facebook?s total advertising revenue. That figure is up from 23% in the previous quarter, and it will continue to grow. Mobile is the future of computing, and it is the future of Facebook as well.

[More from BGR: Apple is ?bleeding market share?]

Analysts at JPMorgan Chase were expecting Facebook?s mobile revenue to come in at an impressive $320 million in Q1 2013, and the actual figure crushed that estimate at $375 million. Facebook?s total ad revenue for the quarter climbed 38% to $1.46 billion.

Facebook Home does not serve ads to users right now. But it will. And Facebook?s smart decision to focus on immersive mobile software instead of an own-brand smartphone or its own mobile operating system means that these ads will be served to far more people as Facebook Home adoption grows than they would have on a ?Facebook Phone.?

In the first quarter, Facebook?s mobile MAU stat grew to 751 million users. That?s three-quarters of a billion people who actively use Facebook?s services on a mobile phone each month. Facebook Home puts Facebook front and center on users? phones, which means that once Home ads roll out, users will likely interact with them even more if they?re done well.

Facebook knows how important mobile is, obviously, and it?s taking steps accordingly. Home is the first of several big mobile initiatives we?ll likely see from Facebook, and the percentage of Facebook?s revenue that comes from mobile products will continue to grow as well. The more innovative and immersive Facebook?s mobile products get, the higher they will drive revenue ? and this is why Facebook Home exists.

This article was originally published on BGR.com

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/reason-facebook-home-exists-154538821.html

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Friday, May 3, 2013

Nikon WU-1a Wireless Mobile Adapter

The Nikon WU-1a Wireless Mobile Adapter ($59.95 direct) is a tiny adapter that plugs into the accessory port of many a recent Nikon camera to add Wi-Fi support. It works as advertised, allowing you to transfer photos from your camera to your iOS or Android device at full resolution. We tested it with the D5200 D-SLR, but it's compatible with a number of popular models including the Coolpix A and D3200.

The WU-1a has a sibling that is functionally identical, but is compatible with camera models with a different type of accessory port. The WU-1b is also $59.95 and can be used with the full-frame D600 and several models in the compact 1 series, including the J3, S1, and V2.

Either adapter plugs into the accessory port on a compatible camera. On the D5200 the WU-1a sticks out like a bump on the left side, and requires you to leave the flap that normally covers the ports open during use. When it's connected and enabled, you won't be able to review images on the camera's rear LCD, only on a connected smartphone, and Live View is disabled. It noticeably wiggles when touched; it's not an accessory I'd recommend leaving attached at all times.

Once you plug it in, a new Wi-Fi network is generated, identified as Nikon_WU and a string of numbers. There's no password, you just connect directly with your iOS or Android device from the network settings menu. Once you've paired the adapter with your phone or tablet you'll have to reset it to use another device, which prevents unwanted users from snooping through your shots or taking control of your camera. We tested the adapter and app using an iPhone 5, and Nikon has yet to update the application to provide full screen support for the larger 4-inch display.

Nikon WU-1a : App Screenshot When you launch the free Nikon Wireless Mobile Utility app you'll be presented with two options?Take Photos and View Photos. The former turns your phone into a remote viewfinder that has the ability to fire the camera's shutter. The current shutter speed and aperture are displayed, but you won't be able to adjust them. And I don't mean that you can't adjust them from the app?you can't adjust them from the camera either. The settings you have selected prior to launching the remote shooting mode are locked in. There are a few options you can set in the app?you can activate a self-timer, which is useful for taking group shots when using the remote viewfinder, and you can tell the adapter to automatically transfer a photo to the connected device after it's captured.

The Take Photos mode also shows you the current battery level and the number of photos left on the memory card. We started our tests with a 40 percent charge, but after only a few photo transfers and about ten minutes of remote viewfinder usage the charge had dipped below 30 percent. At this point the Live View feed to your phone is disabled. You can still fire the shutter remotely, you'll just be doing it blind.

The other mode, View Photos, is a bit more straightforward. It shows you all of the shots on your memory card. You can select the ones you'd like to download, and with a touch transfer them to your phone. It's simple and it works well, although it can be a bit slow. Each shot from the D5200 took about 15 seconds to transfer. If you shoot Raw, you'll be happy to know that a full-resolution JPG version of the Raw file will copy over to your phone, so you can share images on the go without resorting to storage intensive Raw+JPG shooting.

Nikon WU-1a : View Photos There's a lot of room for improvement with this adapter. Nikon's competitors are a bit ahead of them in terms of Wi-Fi implementation. The Canon EOS 6D gives you multiple choices on sharing images online, and can even send directly to Facebook and Twitter from the camera. Samsung's Smart Camera series, which includes the NX300 also gives you the choice of setting up the camera as an access point or connecting to a hotspot. And the Samsung Galaxy Camera runs Android and has built-in 4G cellular connectivity.

The worst part about using the adapter is losing access to camera controls while it's active. The idea of a remote release is great, but you should be able to adjust the settings on your D-SLR through the app and via the camera's physical controls with ease. If there's a silver lining to this, it encourages you to disconnect the adapter when not in use, which is a good idea when you consider the shaky connection between it and the accessory port. Nikon has dipped its toes into the water with putting Wi-Fi into cameras without requiring an adapter, but the company needs to play catch up on features and fix some issues before its Wi-Fi is ready for anything other than occasional use.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/3k1FOZb7Mpg/0,2817,2418439,00.asp

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10 Best-Selling Infomercial Products

We?ve all been there: It?s 3 a.m. After hours of tossing, turning, and bad television watching, sleep deprivation and consumer curiosity get the best of you. By the third time that WaxVac commercial airs, you realize that the pitchmen are right?Q-tips are a danger to your eardrums! So you dial the toll-free number, rattle off your AmEx digits, and play a key role in what has become a $150 billion industry: infomercials.

From acne medicine to hideously oversized blankets with sleeves, these are 10 of the best-selling infomercial products of all time.

1. Proactiv

Annual revenue: $1 billion

When it comes to its actual commercials, the Proactiv acne system has come a long way since its earliest days back in 1995, when the product?s main spokespeople were its creators, Dr. Kathy Fields and Dr. Katie Rodan, and Judith Light (a.k.a. Angela from Who?s The Boss?). Today, the zit cream company?s estimated $1 billion annual earnings afford them the benefit of real celebrity endorsers. Jessica Simpson, Britney Spears, P. Diddy, Justin Beiber, and Katy Perry are just some of the boldfaced names who have earned $2 to $3 million per commercial spot, and helped the company compete?on a financial level?with such mass market manufacturers as Est?e Lauder and Johnson & Johnson.

2. P90X

Annual revenue: $400 million

Standup comedian-turned-personal trainer Tony Horton is laughing his frighteningly toned 54-year-old body all the way to the bank. Since 2005, the seemingly ageless creator of the hardcore P90X workout DVDs has been reshaping bodies?and the infomercial industry?one confused muscle at a time. And he?s got plenty of powerful converts in his corner, from professional athletes (NFL quarterback Kurt Warner) to would-be vice presidents (Romney running mate Paul Ryan). Now Horton?s got a highly profitable business that has generated some interesting (albeit less-advertised) offshoots, such as the Christian-themed Body Gospel, Tony & The Folks for senior bodybuilders, and Tony & The Kids for pint-sized musclemen.

3. Total Gym

Total sales: $1 billion

Chuck Norris? biggest movie, 1984?s Missing in Action, earned less than $23 million at the box office. Maybe the film?s producers should have paired the martial artist with former supermodel Christie Brinkley. The unlikely duo?s promotion of the Total Gym exercise system has led to more than $1 billion in sales.

4. George Foreman Grill

Annual revenue: $202 million

Truth be told, two-time World Heavyweight Champion George Foreman had nothing to do with the conception or design of his world-famous grill. But selling his name to this lean, mean, fat-reducing machine earned him $137.5 million in 1999?which is just a fraction of the company?s net worth. Since its debut in 1994, more than 100 million units in varying sizes have been moved.

5. Bowflex

Annual revenue: $193.9 million

Though it has gotten a lot of competition from more compact and less costly fitness-in-a-box programs like P90X, Bowflex?the all-in-one gym system first introduced in 1986?is still very much in business. More than 2.5 million six-pack-wanting households have cleared some space for the machine; in fact, the$193.9 million the company earned in 2012 was a 7.5 percent improvement over the previous year.

6. Showtime Rotisserie

Total sales: $1.2 billion

Set it, forget it and watch the money roll in. This small rotisserie oven has been the gravy on veteran inventor/pitchman Ron Popeil?s career, with more than 2.5 million units sold.

7. Ped Egg

Total sales: approximately $450 million

The up-close demonstration of a Ped Egg in action?scrubbing away dead skin and calluses?is fairly stomach-turning. But more than 40 million people signed up to try the real thing at home, making this well-priced product (just $10 apiece) one of the industry?s most surprising best-sellers.

8. Snuggie

Total sales: approximately $400 million

Snuggie did not invent the blanket with sleeves (that honor goes to the Slanket folks), but they did popularize the item with a series of widely seen and totally laughable commercials that insisted the behemoth blanket was the product viewers had always wanted. They must have done something right, because more than 20 million Snuggies have been cuddled up with to date. Of course, it helps that the product is big with groups; bar crawls and sporting events are just a few of the Snuggie-required group activities that have helped push those numbers up. In April 2010, Los Angeles Angels fans set a Guinness World Record when more than 43,000 spectators showed up to watch the game in their Snuggies.

9. Sweatin? to the Oldies

Total sales: approximately $200 million

When it comes to infomercial pitchmen, the rule seems to be the louder and more obnoxious the better (see Billy ?OxiClean? Mays or Vince ?ShamWow!? Shlomi for further examples), which made Richard Simmons a perfect fit for the industry. In the 1980s, he sashayed his teeny-weeny striped shorts into more than 20 million living rooms around the world and helped viewers aerobicize their way to a healthier life, simply by Sweatin? to the Oldies.

10. ThighMaster

Total sales: $100 million

Like something out of a Three?s Company plot line (minus some misunderstanding of a sexual nature), Suzanne Somers became the most unlikely of brilliant business minds when she shared the secret to a great pair of legs: this butterfly-shaped exercise device, which promised swoon-worthy results for your thighs, hips, upper arms, breast and chest areas. More than 10 million takers came calling.

Jennifer M. Wood is a writer for Mental Floss, where this piece originally appeared. You can follow her on Twitter here.

Source: http://gizmodo.com/10-best-selling-infomercial-products-486136913

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Penny Pritzker steps into limelight as Commerce nominee

Penny Pritzker is first member of the wealthy family to accept a federal post. President Obama has nominated Penny Pritzker as Commerce secretary. ?

By Laurent Belsie,?Staff writer / May 2, 2013

President Obama looks to longtime fundraiser and philanthropist Penny Pritzker, right, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Thursday, May 2, 2013, where he announced that he will nominate her to run the Commerce Department and economic adviser Michael Froman, left, as the next US Trade Representative.

Carolyn Kaster/AP

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Businesswoman, overachiever, and someone who can say no to people in power, Penny Pritzker is stepping out of the shadows of her famous family name and her wealthier relatives to forge her own persona on the national stage.

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Immigration debate gives life to annual rallies

Alma Banuelos, left, with Emilia Hernandez shout slogans during a rally in downtown Los Angeles Wednesday, May 1, 2013. In celebration of May Day thousands have gathered for an immigration reform rally in downtown Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

Thousands of people march during a May Day rally in downtown Los Angeles on Wednesday, May 1, 2013. In celebration of May Day, people have gathered across the country to rally for various topics including immigration reform. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

FILE - In this May 1, 2012 file photo, thousands of protestors participate in a May Day rally in Los Angeles. Social media and text messaging have become indispensable organizing tools for advocates of a sweeping immigration overhaul, but street marches still have allure. Tens of thousands are expected to rally in dozens of cities from New York to Bozeman, Mont., part of an annual tradition on May 1. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, File)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Demonstrators demanded an overhaul of immigration laws Wednesday in an annual, nationwide ritual that carried a special sense of urgency as Congress considers sweeping legislation that would bring many of the estimated 11 million people living in the U.S. illegally out of the shadows.

Thousands joined May Day rallies in cities from Tampa, Fla., to Bozeman, Mont., with participants braving the cold and snow to deliver their message in some places.

In Salem, Ore., Gov. John Kitzhaber was cheered by about 2,000 people on the Capitol steps as he signed a bill to allow people living in Oregon without proof of legal status to obtain drivers licenses.

More than 1,000 people assembled on the Montpelier, Vt., Statehouse lawn. In New York, paper rats on sticks bobbed along Sixth Avenue as about 200 protesters set off from Bryant Park, chanting: "What do we want? Justice! When do we want it? Now!" The rats were intended to symbolize abused migrant workers.

Many rallies featured speakers with a personal stake in the debate. In Concord, N.H., Kristela Hernandez, 21, said she feared separating from her U.S.-born children if her work visa expires.

"I came here for better opportunities for me and now my children," Hernandez told about 100 people outside the Statehouse. "I'm here to work and to get an education."

Naykary Silva, a 26-year-old Mexican woman in the country illegally, joined about 200 people who marched in Denver's spring snow, hoping for legislation that would ensure medical care for her 3-year-old autistic son.

"If you want to do something, you do it no matter what," Silva said. "There's still more work to do."

The crowds did not approach the massive demonstrations of 2006 and 2007, during the last serious attempt to introduce major changes to the U.S. immigration system. Despite the large turnouts six years ago, many advocates of looser immigration laws felt they were outmaneuvered by opponents who flooded congressional offices with phone calls and faxes at the behest of conservative talk-radio hosts.

Now, immigrant advocacy groups are focusing heavily on calling and writing members of Congress, using social media and other technology to target specific lawmakers. Reform Immigration for America, a network of groups, claims more than 1.2 million subscribers, including recipients of text messages and Facebook followers.

Gabriel Villalobos, a Spanish-language talk radio host in Phoenix, said many of his callers believe it is the wrong time for marches, fearful that that any unrest could sour public opinion on immigration reform. Those callers advocate instead for a low-key approach of calling members of Congress.

"The mood is much calmer," said Villalobos, who thinks the marches are still an important show of political force.

May Day rallies began in the United States in 2000 during a labor dispute with a restaurant in Los Angeles that drew several hundred demonstrators, said Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, which organized what was expected to be Wednesday's largest rally. Crowds grew each year until the House of Representatives passed a tough bill against illegal immigration, sparking a wave of enormous, angry protests from coast to coast in 2006.

The rallies, which coincide with Labor Day in many countries outside the U.S., often have big showings from labor leaders and elected officials.

Demonstrators marched in countries around the world, with fury in Europe over austerity measures and rage in Asia over relentlessly low pay, the rising cost of living and hideous working conditions that have left hundreds dead in recent months alone.

The New York crowd was a varied bunch of labor groups, immigrant activists and demonstrators unaffiliated with any specific cause. Among them was 26-year-old Becky Wartell, who was carrying a tall puppet of the Statue of Liberty.

"Every May Day, more groups that have historically considered themselves separate from one another come together," she said.

___

Spagat reported from San Diego. Associated Press writers contributing to this report were Meghan Barr in New York, Morgan True in Concord, N.H., Lauren Gambino in Salem, Ore., and Alexandra Tilsley in Denver.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-05-01-Immigration%20Marches/id-d5386e60a31c4bbfbce9d903249b58bc

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