December 2011

Consumers on tablet devices: having fun, shopping and engaging with ads

Tablets have quickly emerged as a distinct third digital screen in consumers lives that fill the gap between desktops and smartphones. But there are still many open questions about exactly how consumers are using them. We explored tablet search trends earlier this year, but wanted to dig deeper and answer key questions such as: What are the contrasts between tablet use, laptop use, and smartphone use and how are consumers engaging across these devices? What are the most common activities (playing games, searching, reading, etc.) that tablets are used for? What ads are most relevant and useful based on how people are using the devices?

One of our studies, a diary study that had people record every occasion that they used their tablet over a two-week period, found that most consumers use their tablets for fun, entertainment and relaxation while they use their desktop computer or laptop for work. Tablet devices are personal - 91% of the time that people spend on their tablet devices is for personal rather than work related activities. When a consumer gets a tablet, we’ve found that they quickly migrate many of their entertainment activities from laptops and smartphones to this new device. Tablet owners are building the device into their daily routine. Our research found that the most frequent tablet activities are checking email, playing games and social networking. We also found that people are doing more activities in shorter bursts on weekdays (e.g. social networking, email) while engaging in longer usage sessions on weekends (e.g. watching videos/TV/movies). Tablets are multi-tasking devices with at least 42% of activities occurring while doing another task or engaging with another entertainment medium. Of all the activities that people do on tablets, checking email, playing games, social networking and searching are the ones most frequently done in front of the TV. Many consumers also used their tablets to check email while eating, and listen to music while cooking.

Google, Retailers in Talks on Fast-Delivery Service

In a potential strike against Amazon, Google is in talks with major retailers and shippers to create a service that lets consumers shop for goods on the Web and receive orders within a day for a low fee, according to people familiar with the matter.

Google's move into fulfilling delivery of physical goods is motivated largely by Amazon, these people said. Amazon's growth has surged in recent years with a service called Prime that allows people to receive many items they order from the site in a day or two for a $79 annual fee, analysts said. The success of Amazon Prime has encouraged some consumers to search for products directly on Amazon, rather than on Google and has posed an additional threat to traditional retailers whose online offerings -- and shipping times -- often pale in comparison. Numerous retailers have expressed interest in signing on to the Google initiative, the people familiar with the matter said. Google has pitched the project to retailers with whom it struck recent partnerships in other areas, a group that includes Macy's Inc., Gap Inc. and OfficeMax Inc., these people said.

Chrome takes No. 2 browser spot from Firefox

Google's Chrome has narrowly overtaken Mozilla's Firefox as the second most popular desktop browser behind Microsoft's Internet Explorer, which is holding onto its market-leading share of the market, according to one Web analytics firm. StatCounter's monthly statistics for November show IE in the lead with 40.63 percent of the global market, followed by Chrome with 25.69 percent, Firefox with 25.23 percent, Safari with 5.92 percent and Opera with 1.82 percent. While Chrome for the first time surpassed Firefox on a global basis, that's not the case in the U.S., where IE maintains a larger share of the market (50.66 percent), and Firefox (20.09 percent) retains a lead over Chrome (17.3 percent), StatCounter reports.

Consumer Reports Launches iPad Subscriptions, 7 New Smartphone Apps

Consumer Reports, which named the iPad the top tablet earlier this year, is now adding subscriptions and free access for print subscribers to its iPad app. As part of its ongoing strategy to reach younger readers, it is also releasing seven new smartphone apps, including one that scans barcodes for instant access to CR ratings and reviews. The CR iPad subscriptions launch with the January 2012 issue, which goes on sale December 6. Also starting with the January 2012 issue, print subscribers (who pay $29 per year) will have access to the iPad edition for free. Single issues are available through iTunes for $4.99, monthly iPad subscriptions are $2.99 and annual iPad subscriptions are $24.99. Consumer Reports Mobile Shopper, for $4.99, lets users scan barcodes to see Consumer Reports ratings and reviews. The other apps focus on appliances, babies’ and kids’ products, eco-friendly ingredients, TVs, washers and dryers, and hospital ratings.

Concerned About Facebook Privacy? Drink Up

One of the great ironies of our time is the sheer number of Facebook users who label their debauched post-Las Vegas photo albums some variation of: “What Happens in Vegas…” Obviously, very little that happens in Nevada’s party district, or anywhere else, manages to stay there these days. As long as cameras are on hand to capture the evidence, and social media networks exist to distribute it, the days of worry-free decadence are gone. Or are they? A new campaign from South American beer brand Cerveza Norte promotes an improbable new product the company developed with Buenos Aires-based agency Del Campo Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi. Norte’s Photoblocker is a futuristic beer cooler that purports to do just what its title says: defend drinkers against unwanted interference from amateur paparazzi and day-after embarrassment (or worse). The cumbersome object--it looks to be the size of a wastebasket one might keep atop their office desk--not only serves as a functional temperature-preserving beer cooler, but it also works to preserve nightclub anonymity. Photoblocker detects camera and cell phone flashes in 360 degrees, reflecting back a powerful flash that instantly destroys all attempted photos.

Netflix Hires Former Skype Executive and FCC Advisor to Head Government Relations

Netflix has hired as its head of global government relations Christopher Libertelli, a former Skype executive and legal advisor to the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. Libertelli will replace Michael Drobac, who said he’ll leave Netflix to launch his own public-service and health-care company. Last year, Drobac established a government-relations office in Washington.

Complaints Pop Up for Jawbone’s UP

Just over three weeks after its launch, it seems that some users are down on UP.

One of the complaints about UP involves the hardware and design of the device, a MotionX-powered bracelet that tracks users’ daily activity, sleep patterns and even their meals. One major issue involves the end of the wristband — which is protected by a removable cap — that plugs directly into users’ iPhones for immediate access to the data through a Jawbone UP iOS app. Some users are claiming that the cap falls off too easily, and have submitted multiple complaints about lost caps to Jawbone’s online forum. The cap is also designed to lie on the underside of the wrist, which some allege gets in the way for frequent laptop users. Others are complaining that the UP device sometimes doesn’t sync with the iPhone and send the necessary data after plugging it into the smartphone. Finally — in what might be the most critical of complaints about the UP, since it’s meant to be worn 24/7 — some users are claiming that too-quick battery drainage is an issue with their devices.

San Francisco area transit agency’s new cellphone policy would allow jamming in rare cases

The Bay Area Rapid Transit is authorizing police to turn off wireless communications in train stations, but only for extraordinary threats -- cases in which train passengers, employees or property are threatened or a substantial disruption to train service is possible.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski said, “Today BART took an important step in responding to legitimate concerns raised by its August
11, 2011 interruption of wireless service. As the policy BART adopted recognizes, communications networks that are open and available are critical to our democracy and economy. The FCC is dedicated to preserving the availability and openness of communications networks. It is also committed to ensuring that communications technologies are harnessed to protect the public, and that first responders and other public safety officers have the tools they need for their important work. For interruption of communications service to be permissible or advisable, it must clear a high substantive and procedural bar. The legal and policy issues raised by the type of wireless service interruption at issue here are significant and complex. I have asked Commission staff to review these critical issues and consider the constraints that the Communications Act, First Amendment, and other laws and policies place upon potential service interruptions. We will soon announce an open, public process to provide guidance on these issues.”

EU, tech firms link up to protect children online

The European Commission joined forces with major technology firms including Apple, Facebook and Google to improve the protection of children online.

The coalition, which includes 28 companies, will develop an age-based online ratings system and aims to strengthen privacy settings. It also plans by the end of next year to make it easier to report inappropriate content. Other measures include improving parental controls and enhancing cooperation among law enforcement and hotline authorities to remove online material showing sexual abuse.

Cheapest U.S. Republican Primary in a Decade Defies Spending Predictions

Even as experts predict that the 2012 presidential race will be the most expensive in US history, a funny thing is happening on the way to the Republican nomination: It’s becoming one of the cheapest primaries in a more than a decade. The top nine Republican candidates spent $53 million through September, compared with $132 million spent at the same time four years ago. The sum is even lower than totals reported during the same period in the 2004 and 2000 primaries -- when most candidates still were abiding by campaign spending limits in order to receive public matching money. In the crowded Democratic primary in 2004, the candidates had spent $58 million through Sept. 30, 2003. Four years earlier, a primary field of 10 Republican candidates had spent $68 million in the first three quarters of 1999. One major difference is a profusion of televised debates -- 11 so far -- negating the need for costly commercials. The spending slump is having an effect on the campaign trail. Advertising in the first two states to hold contests, Iowa and New Hampshire, has plummeted 75 percent. And candidates who have barely registered in what’s sometimes called “the money primary” are vaulting into the lead.

Benton

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