November 2011

Generation App: 62% of Mobile Users 25-34 own Smartphones

Nielsen’s third quarter survey of mobile users reveals that while only 43 percent of all US mobile phone subscribers own a smartphone, the vast majority of those under the age of 44 now have smartphones. In fact, 62 percent of mobile adults aged 25-34 report owning smartphones. And among those 18-24 and 35-44 years old the smartphone penetration rate is hovering near 54 percent.

Other groups show slightly lower penetration rates. Around 40 percent of 12-17 year-old teens and 40 percent of 45-54 year-olds reported owning a smartphone, as opposed to a more basic feature phone. After younger adults, the segment with the second fastest-growing smartphone penetration rate is those aged 55-64. Smartphone penetration among this older group is only 30 percent, but it jumped 5 percent this quarter. As the smartphone market continues to expand, Android remains the most popular smartphone operating system in the United States, with 43 percent of the market, while Apple is the top smartphone manufacturer, with 28 percent of smartphone consumers sporting an Apple iPhone.

Google Changes Search Algorithm, Trying to Make Results More Timely

Many Google search results will be more timely after Google made a significant change to its search algorithm, a change that will affect about 35 percent of searches.

The change was made because people increasingly expect real-time information on the Web from Twitter and other Web sites, and some Google results seemed dated. For instance, search for the Oscars to find out when the awards ceremony will be broadcast this year, and you might find results about previous awards shows instead. The change, which Google calls a freshness algorithm, gives real-time results for relevant searches, using Google’s Caffeine Web indexing system, which crawls the Web more quickly. Google makes more than 500 changes to its algorithm a year, but most affect only a small percentage of results. Its last change of significant size was in February, when it weeded out low-quality sites like content farms, affecting 12 percent of searches. The new algorithm will bring up minutes-old results for recent events, like an unfolding news story, and for recurring events like the Oscars or the presidential election. It will also show fresher results for topics that are often updated, like reviews of the new iPhone.

Feds Shift Tracking Defense

The Department of Justice now says its use of a cellphone-tracking device in a controversial Arizona case could be considered a "search" under the Fourth Amendment, a tactical move legal experts say is designed to protect the secrecy of the gadgets known as "stingrays."

For more than a year, federal prosecutors have argued in U.S. District Court that the use of the stingray device -- which can locate a mobile phone even when it's not being used to make a call—wasn't a search, in part because the user had no reasonable expectation of privacy while using Verizon Wireless cellphone service. Under that argument, authorities wouldn't need to obtain a search warrant before using one of the devices. The defendant in the case, Daniel David Rigmaiden, is facing fraud charges. His quest to force the government to provide information about the device used to locate him was the subject of front-page article in The Wall Street Journal in September. Legal experts say the government's move fits into its strategy of keeping information about the devices under wraps, and the government continues to maintain that, in general, search warrants aren't required. The government said it is willing to make these concessions in this case alone in an attempt to "avoid unnecessary disclosure" of information about its stingray devices. The judge in the case, David G. Campbell, had indicated he might want to know more about the technical details of the devices before ruling on whether their use constituted a search.

US cyber espionage report names China and Russia as main culprits

Online industrial spying by China and Russia presents a growing threat to the U.S. economy and its national security, the top counterintelligence agency said, abandoning the caution American officials typically display when asked to name the countries they believe are most responsible for cyber-economic espionage.

Billions of dollars of trade secrets, technology and intellectual property are being siphoned each year from the computer systems of U.S. government agencies, corporations and research institutions to benefit the economies of China and other countries, the Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive said. The hackers come from many countries and range from foreign intelligence services to corporations to criminals, according to the report, but the report —titled Foreign Spies Stealing U.S. Economic Secrets in Cyberspace—leaves no doubt as to who are the most intent on stealing secrets. “Chinese actors are the world’s most active and persistent perpetrators of economic espionage,” the report states. In addition, it says, “Russia’s intelligence services are conducting a range of activities to collect economic information and technology from U.S. targets.”

Sen Grassley to hold up Obama's nominees to FCC over LightSquared documents

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) will place a hold on the two nominees to the Federal Communications Commission that will take effect once the nominations reach the Senate floor.

"I will object to proceeding to the nomination because the FCC continues to stonewall a document request I submitted to the FCC over six months ago on April 27, 2011, regarding their actions related to LightSquared and Harbinger Capital," Sen Grassley said. "It not only sets a dangerous precedent for a federal agency to unilaterally set the rules on how it engages with Congress — it also prevents any meaningful ability for the vast majority of Congress to inform themselves of how an agency works." "I strongly believe that it is critical for Congress to have access to documents in order to conduct vigorous and independent oversight. It is unfortunate that this administration, which has pledged to be the most transparent in history, disagrees," Sen Grassley said. "As long as they continue to do so, I will be forced to take steps like this in order to ensure that Congress receives a complete picture of this administration’s actions."

On Twitter, lines blur between celebs’ thoughts and paid ads

These celebs aren’t just writing about family cars and fashion choices for the heck of it. Stars can get paid big bucks — sometimes $10,000 or more per post — to pontificate about clothes, cars and movies in the 140 characters or less allowed per tweet. That adds up to about $71 per character. Twitter, which in its five-year existence has reshaped how people shop, vote and start revolutions, is now changing the business of celebrity endorsements. Just as Match.com and eHarmony pair up singles for dates, a growing number of startup firms are hooking up companies with stars who get paid to praise products to their thousands — sometimes millions — of Twitter followers. The list of celebs and the things they hawk is long and getting longer all the time. The endorsements range from subtle to blatant; the celeb pairings from sensible to downright odd.

The State of Mobile Wireless Competition 2010-11

This Public Notice solicits input and data on mobile wireless competition for the Federal Communications Commission’s Sixteenth Annual Report on the State of Competition in Mobile Wireless, including Commercial Mobile Radio Services.

The FCC is required to submit annual reports to Congress analyzing competitive conditions with respect to commercial mobile services. On June 27, 2011, the Commission released its Fifteenth Mobile Wireless Competition Report. With this Notice, the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau seeks to update the information and metrics used in the Fifteenth Report, as well as to enhance the FCC’s analysis of mobile wireless competition for the Sixteenth Report. This Notice seeks data and information on industry structure, firm conduct, market performance, and consumer behavior with respect to mobile wireless services, as well as on input and downstream segments, intermodal competition, urban-rural comparisons, and international comparisons. The FCC requests that commenters provide, to the extent possible, information and insights on competition across the mobile wireless ecosystem using this framework. The FCC also asks parties to comment on whether the framework used in the Fifteenth Report was adequate for analyzing mobile wireless competition or whether changes should be made for the Sixteenth Report.

For the Sixteenth Report, the FCC requests that commenters submit data and statistics for the calendar-year 2010 time period, as well as information on any trends and developments that have occurred during 2010 or 2011. In particular, the FCC seeks information on events or developments that arose after release of the Fifteenth Report.

Comments are due Dec 5, 2011; reply comments are due Dec 21, 2011.

How Many Broadcast Stations Are There?

The Federal Communications Commission announced the following totals for broadcast stations licensed as of September 30, 2011:

AM stations: 4763
FM commercial stations: 6530
FM educational stations: 3572
Total radio stations: 14,865

UHF commercial TV stations: 1027
VHF commercial TV stations: 359
UHF educational TV stations: 289
VHF educational TV stations: 107
Total full-power TV stations: 1,782

CLASS A UHF stations: 421
CLASS A VHF stations :71
Total low-power TV stations: 492

FM translators & boosters 6113
UHF translators 3043
VHF translators 1230
Total translators and boosters 10,386

UHF low power TV stations 1659
VHF low power TV stations 409
Total low power TV stations 2,068
Low power FM radio stations 848

TOTAL BROADCAST STATIONS: 30,441

FCC Tweaks Nationwide EAS Test

On November 9, 2011, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time1 (EST), the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Emergency Management Agency will conduct the first-ever nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS). The purpose of the test is to assess the reliability and effectiveness of the EAS as a way to alert the public of national emergencies. After a careful review of the technical elements of the test, FEMA and the FCC have concluded that a thirty-second test will allow the agencies to effectively assess the reliability and effectiveness of the EAS as a way to alert the public of national emergencies with limited disruption to the public. The test was planned to be 3 minutes long. According to a source, shortening the duration is so that nobody will mistake it for an actual emergency, something some industry players had suggested might happen with such an extended warning.

The sods must be crazy: OLPC to drop tablets from helicopters to isolated villages

The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project has devised a bizarre plan for deploying its new XO-3 tablet. The organization plans to drop the touchscreen computers from helicopters near remote villages in developing countries. The devices will then be abandoned and left for the villagers to find, distribute, support, and use on their own. OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte is optimistic that the portable devices -- which will be stocked with electronic books -- will empower children to learn to read without any external support or instruction. The strange scheme reflects the OLPC project’s roots in constructivist education theory, which emphasizes self-directed learning.

Benton

Search