Google’s Purchase of Motorola to go Ahead

This week, Google was given the go ahead by US and European regulators to complete the take-over of Motorola for a reported $12.5 Billion.

You may remember that back in December we told you about Google wanting to purchase Motorola? Well, at the time Google received a 400 page document containing allegations of “abuse of dominance” by the European Commission. The report detailed that Google was unethical in its monopoly over the search engine market. There were talks of a hefty fine as well as the implications that any acquisition of Motorola would have to go on hold.

So what has changed? Well not much to tell the truth. Google is still under scrutiny, and have been warned that the acquired patents (17,000 and 7500 patent applications) would have to be licensed at fair prices.

This is by far the largest purchase in Google’s history, and is an obvious move to ensure that Google stand upfront with the competition like Apple through the explosion of the global mobile device market.

Minnie’s Verdict

It was on the cards since August 2011 that Google were going to acquire Motorola and its large portfolio of patents. It is essential that Google doesn’t abuse its patent rights as this could effectively wipe out the smart-phone competition in the new, developing markets.

Google already has one $6 Billion law-suit surrounding patent infringement on its hands with Oracle Corp, the last thing its reputation needs is another.

Social Media – Men Are the Early Adopters

For some time, it has been widely assumed (with fair justification) that there are more women using social networking sites than men and that they (specifically older/middle aged women) also spend more time using it. However new statistics have come to our attention that show more (young) men have utilized newer social networking sites Google+ and Pinterest.

The old perceptions are actually completely justified with the likes of Facebook (55% users are female) and Twitter (54% female). In fact, in 2011 LinkedIn was the only large Social Network Site with more men than women, mostly due to the fact that it has a professional focus with short usage times.

Over 60% of Google+ users are male, young and single, the complete opposite of the typical Tweeter. This is seen as an indication that Google+ is still mostly made up of marketing execs and the technically gifted.

E-Consultancy indicated that this demographic slant may cause serious issues for Google+ as by having too many men may actually put off potential female users from signing up. Research has proven that women are more “profitable” as well as spending more time on the sites.

Below is an Infographic on Pinterest users in the UK compared to the US.

Minnie’s Verdict

I don’t think Google has to worry too much about attracting women onto their Social Network. Google+ still has the fastest growing rate of new users and women are gradually getting on side. Making women “stick” with Google+ will likely be its biggest challenge.

An obvious conclusion is that Google+ and Pinterest (especially in the UK) are still going through their growing pains. It could have only been expected that the first users on the sites were men, due to the professions and industries of people who would want to get on there first.

Infographic of the Week

To celebrate Valentine’s Day, below we give you the battle of the sexes on Pinterest. Look at it as an insight into what most new Social Networks should experience within the first year of their launch.

2012 is awash with news of companies such as Amazon and ASOS posting double digit growth figures, while the Thornton’s, Thomas Cooks and Kodaks of this world are shutting shop on the high street or pulling down shutters all together.

Is this really then the beginning of the end for high street retail? Will Oxford Street in a few years look more like a warehouse compound used for collecting packages rather than a street with all the frills and fancies for a rich shopping experience?

In the last few decades any major paradigm shift be it in the way we travel, read, listen to music has been dependant on practical, economic and emotive factors.  If you are in a shop and hear a song that you like, you can Shazaam it, download it on ITunes and once in your car play it wirelessly off the stereo. Sounds like a dream, only it is the way it works these days.  Hence it’s not too difficult to imagine a complete shift from Vinyl and cassette tapes to digital. However the emotive side in us keeps the vinyl stores alive in the back streets of Shoreditch and Soho.

Shopping online provides you with an international mix of products, 24/7, often at a (perceived) discount and delivery to your door. This is a lot more agreeable than standing in long queues and running between shops to finish your shopping before they shut. Online companies are able to save costs on premium rentals on high streets, employ less staff, stay open 24×7 and minimise ongoing investment that are required to make the store look as inviting as possible to boost footfall.  Despite all the conveniences and savings online, our collective memory going back many hundred years of going to markets still cannot kick the idea of browsing around stores, touch and feeling products and the joy of interacting with people. After all humans are social creatures and thrive in interactive environments.  However, if people aren’t buying, how do these shops stay in business?

Over the past few years every major retailer has observed the disruptive nature of e-commerce. It has without a doubt changed the way people consume products and services. Some companies have shut their eyes to this change and gone out of business while others have adapted by going online themselves and survived.

There is however quite interestingly a 3^rd development that has been taking place over the last 12 months. Traditional retail companies have realised that shopping online be it mobile or desktop is here to stay. E-commerce companies have lower costs hence will always beat them on price but they lack the ability to provide the physical experience to consumers. This has lead to furious innovation by these companies in multichannel marketing and provided a lifeline for their survival.

Marks & Spencer, a traditional British store, now sells knickers and superior cakes by smartphone. House of Fraser has launched new HouseOfFraser.com stores in Aberdeen and Liverpool that act purely as order and collection points for goods.

In South Korea people are busy at home and tired after a long day at work so Tesco have launched virtual subway stores offering the opportunity to shop while walking home, scanning QR codes to populate their shopping baskets and paying with their mobiles. The food is delivered by the time people reach home.

Such innovation in multi-channel retailing is an indication of things to come where rather than being pure play, companies will be a lot more integrated across channels.  This will not only ensure the survival of high street retailers but also revitalise their growth and put pressure on online retailers to focus on usability and customer experience.

In my first app review, I see it only fitting that I review a game, and not just any game, but one about my favourite subject, DOGS!

The geniuses at Big Pixel Studios (creators of Land a Panda), released Off the Leash at the start of February, and for nearly two weeks I haven’t been able to put down my iPod.

The Story

The new evil Chief of Police has decided to ban all dogs and has deployed his forces for our capture!

As a dog you must outrun the cop cars and elude captivity, whilst rescuing as many doomed pups as possible! To survive as long as you can you must evade protruding hedgerows, random ponds and puddles as well as oncoming vehicles, collecting food and coins as you go!

You start off as a Golden Retriever called Steve, but by collecting more coins you can use them to upgrade to faster stronger breeds and customise accessories. You can also unleash power-ups and to help your survival, and purchase whistles so you can call for “The Big Dog” in desperate times!

Key Features

• Simple one-handed tilt-based controls
• 7 different dogs to unlock and customise
• Unlock additional bonus levels, power-ups, and Big Dog attacks by completing missions
• 90 unique missions
• Stunning HD graphics
• Game Center + OpenFeint leaderboards and achievements to compete with your friends
• Easy to learn but difficult to master, you’ll be coming back again and again!

Minnie’s Verdict

8 Barks!

If you love dogs you’ll love this game. The simple controls and lasting gameplay makes it highly addictive. The graphics are tidy and the gameplay is faultless, and it’s FREE! I say give it a go if you have time to kill and feel like outrunning the law!

London Olympics May Cause Internet Overload

If you hadn’t heard already the Olympics are coming to London this year, bringing with it the eyes, ears and clicking fingers of the world! In fact, with the increase in physical visitors to the UK and increase in international (cyber) traffic to British sports streaming websites, the government are worried our internet may overload, slowing browser speeds and possibly causing a sort of breakdown.

Not to worry though, the British Government have announced this week that they are working on measures to tackle our somewhat sluggish internet (said to be one of the slowest in Europe!).

If they fail, Brits will be looking at a summer of disruption and slow service, and we’re not talking about National Rail. As a warning, an advisory document, “Preparing Your Business For The Games” [PDF] is available for download from the official London 2012 website.

The government is said to be working with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to find ways of avoiding being overwhelmed during the games which begin on the 27^th of July. One option they are considering is implementing data caps, meaning that the bandwidth can be distributed fairly amongst users.

Minnie’s Verdict

Slow internet is a killer and must be avoided. With so many businesses that market themselves online as speedy, efficient alternatives to heading out the house, sluggish speeds can be really damaging. The UK has always lagged slightly in terms of fast broadband, so the Olympics are a good excuse as any for fixing the problem, and getting us up to speed!

Frustratingly, we have also found out that mobile networks will be equally affected, especially within London near and around any major sporting event.

The Mobile Super Bowl

One of the world’s largest single sporting events took place this week. The Super Bowl was viewed by more than 100 million viewers round the world, and lived up to its expectations as being an exciting, highly commercialised sporting event.

This particular event was predicted to be the first “mobile Super Bowl” whereby 39% of viewers supposedly were to react to the sport and advertising, on mobile devices (i.e. smartphones and tablets.) according to one mobile ad network.

Adverts surrounding the Super Bowl (specifically at half-time) have become as traditionally celebrated as a spectacle, as much as the sport itself. Google announced that during the game 41% of searches related to the Super Bowl ads came from users mobile devices.

According to Google, “Super Bowl ad related searches in the US rose 200% on desktop, 970% on tablets and a whopping 2700% on smartphones.”

Minnie’s Verdict

This story is another example of how important and relevant having mobile presence is becoming at merging offline with online. If you noticed, some of the Super Bowl advertising contained “call to actions” encouraging viewers to use their mobile devices. This is nothing new, but if, as an advertiser, you haven’t considered integrating mobile relevant content in your advertising, or do not have a mobile site/page to optimise for the increase in mobile traffic you should expect from using traditional media, it is about time you did!

Infographic of the Week!

In honour of the Super Bowl, and following the running theme of sport in this post, here is a great infographic we found from the Dachis Group.

It ranks the success of commercial messages and advertising around the Super Bowl in spreading awareness.

It’s a biggy but definitely worth a look!

Google Privacy Policy Changes Causes a Stir

Google announced last week that, as of 1^st of March, there will be one single privacy policy that will apply to all Google products, rather than one for each (currently over 70 different policies).

As much as this may make sense to web users, there has been some drama as to the alterations in the policy, which some see as a direct infringement on our general privacy.

So what’s new?

Google have said that through the new policy, users information will be shared across their different products, combining the likes of Gmail, search and Youtube information so that a user will have one single profile. This way Google can understand users better, by what they search for combined with what they like to watch and share.

This means that Google will have more information on users so that they can provide the most relevant results and ads for users.

Have a look at this video which explains Google’s changes.

Minnie’s Verdict

The reaction has been quite mixed across the industry. A lot of users see this as Google going too far with privacy, and the holding of information shows a close resemblance with the Facebook privacy policies. However, here we are not really at all surprised at these changes. Google are well within their rights to incorporate all their products within one legal privacy policy. Hopefully this will actually mean more relevant results, and as long as Google is not sharing our information with external organisations, is there really anything for us to be worried about?

Facebook Rolls Out Timeline to All Users

Facebook announced that all users would be updated to their recent timeline platform. Over the next few weeks, all 800 million users will log in to find their profile will be replaced by the timeline. Users will then have 7 days to edit their timeline before it is displayed to other users. This will give people the chance to alter the presentation of their timeline.

As usual, this change has had mixed reviews.

On one hand, the timeline has been positively received as a way of displaying more information in a more personal way. It has allowed the integration of apps, meaning users can spend more time on Facebook enjoying pockets of programmes they like. User creativity is also encouraged through the display picture function and it is also now easier and faster to find stories and old updates.

On the other hand, it has come under criticism for simply showing off too much information. For new users it can be difficult to navigate, and many are sceptical of the idea that Facebook visually can now show all activities since birth. The largest criticism is that users do not have the choice as to whether they would like the old profile or not.

Minnie’s Mini Verdict

This is the umpteenth Facebook upgrade. Each time there has always been those who have predicted the demise of the world’s most used Social Media platform. Now with the allure of Google+ next door, will users make that leap of faith?

INFOGRAPHIC OF THE WEEK

How to Utilise Twitter

Twitter remains as one of the largest sharing sites on the internet. Despite fierce competition from Google+, Twitter is still the site of choice in terms of sharing and sending out information. Social Media Marketers use Twitter as a way of generating a high CTR and quality traffic. Below is an infographic provided by Dan Zarrella, The Social Media Scientist. Maybe it could help you when planning your next Social Media Strategy.

Public Alerts To be Part of Google Maps

Earlier this week, Google Maps announced the introduction of a new feature for users, whereby public alerts would now be displayed.

So for instance if there is a public weather warning, Google will overlay it on the map highlighting the affected area and display information in a pop-box when you mouse over the area.

The data used for the alerts comes from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Weather Service and the US Geological Survery. So as well as weather in the US, users will also get alerts on techtonic movements and potential earthquake zones across the globe.

Google have said that: “We hope Google Public Alerts provides the public with information they need to make better decisions in times of crisis, and ultimately help save lives.”

Minnie’s Verdict

Google have made many moves over the last few months to enhance their image of being socially responsible in this is another move. Aside from that it also is yet another reason for Google Account holders to rely more on Google products and less on external sites. Now when planning a trip, a user can get travel news, route planner and any public announcements on Maps, making it more of a complete informational service. There is already the Google Weather add-on on iGoogle, however this may become a permanent feature on Google Maps.