Category Archives: Perspective
Google wants to obtain Motorola Mobility
Early on Monday, Google made a statement that it is going to Motorola Mobility Holdings. This will the first move for the Mountain View Company’s first prime to become the owner holding, which is better than a mere partnership in the smartphone hardware industry.
Google’s CEO, Larry Page claimed that the blending of the two companies will not only supercharge Android, but also encouraged competition and offer consumers gathers momentum in innovation, better choice, and superb user familiarity.
Google is going to acquire Motorola for nearly $40 per share in cash, or more or less $12.5 billion dollars, “a premium of 63% to the closing price of Motorola Mobility shares on Friday, August 12, 2011,” as stated in the press release.
Google has its own wallet
In a Mountain View convenience store, Marc Freed-Finnegan takes a bottle of water up to the cashier, who inspects by the scanner and reveals the price. Freed-Finnegan feels his smartphone to a gray artificial sensor labeled “PayPass,” and “Information Sent” emerges on his phone’s screen, with a MasterCard picture and a few digits of his card number.
Freed-Finnegan, who supervises the upcoming Google Wallet service, expected to become accessible to the public for the first time later on this month, has now paid with his phone.
Google Wallet uses a technology known as Near Field Communication, short-range transfer systems that can pass on secure credit card data within a span of about 1.6 inches, which allows a smartphone to become an effective virtual credit card or prepaid cash card.
The latest Google service, just one of the numerous new technologies aiming to turn smartphones into payment devices, initially can be bought by a select group. Clients of a Samsung Nexus S Android phone on the Sprint network — but Google is hoping that it can slowly extend that audience to other phones, wireless carriers and credit card businesses.
The Wallet service eventually comes with bundle payments with online discount tenders and loyalty programs, so one usage of a consumer’s phone at the frozen yogurt store could concurrently provide a payment, cash in a discount coupon and note down the purchase for the store’s customer loyalty point program.
Freed-Finnegan says most people’s wallets are a mess and that they are doing something about it.
Google Wallet is just among the new mobile payment technologies that are going to be offered by startups and established companies, giving the smartphones another ability — turning out into virtual billfold or pocketbook, as well as a message and information device, rolled into one.
Almost everyone thinks that wallet will stay forever, but while consumers have long managed to use mobile apps in buying things online with a phone as they would on a desktop computer. The new proximity technologies such as NFC will soon allow the phone to act like a credit or debit card, becoming the definite payment tool in bricks-and-mortar stores.
Other companies that are also innovating the smartphone into a wallet include the following:
Isis, a joint undertaking of AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless, say it will introduce the first trials of its NFC-powered smartphone payment system in the first half of 2012, with support from Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.
Square, a San Francisco-based startup presented by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, by now provides hardware, allowing merchants on the usage of an iPad, iPhone or Android phone to swipe credit cards, also a mobile app that allows consumers to pay by presenting their name and photo to a partaking merchant.
Trucks Implements Higher Efficiency Standards
The Obama government has introduced a law that will protect the government over $50 million concerning fuel cost starting from the year 2014 to 2018. The Whitehouse claims that it is going to reduce oil imports throughout that time by 530 million barrels; as well as cutting greenhouse gas emissions by about 270 million tons.
There is going to be two sets of standards, one requires engine manufacturers to increase productivity and the other gears connected to the fuel economy of trucks in different classes namely buses, garbage trucks, and delivery trucks. Standards will begin taking effect in the 2014 model year vehicles.
The truck means follow a statement previously this month of higher fuel efficiency evaluations for cars and light trucks, which will promote the average fuel efficiency, as measured by EPA tests, over 50 miles per gallon.
Similarly to the auto standards, truck and engine makers expected to meet the new set of regulations by making incremental enhancements with accessible technologies. Trucks are going to get more sensible engines, therefore, saving fuel with better aerodynamics, lighter-weight materials, and turning off engines when at rest.
Representative for the Engine Manufacturers Association, Joe Suchecki says the enhancements in the engine and then the approval of lot of these efficiency practices, like improved aerodynamics and low-resistance tires, which are already available in the market today. The solution is already available in the market, so it would be easier to implement the change needed for the betterment of the trucks for tomorrow.
By year 2018, the directive is going to happen in a 23 percent cut in fuel utilization for semi-trucks, while heavy-duty trucks and vans will get about 15 percent more cost-effective. School buses, city buses, and service trucks operated by utilities is going to have 10 percent better fuel competence.
Suchecki said that the industry has traditionally resisted tighter auto and light-truck fuel regulations, but the trucking industry has been helpful with implementing the higher standards since the corporate customers are pushing them for better efficiency. Owners and workers have always looked for the best fuel efficiency because fuel is a driver in terms of the cost of doing the company’s work.
According to a fact sheet from the Department of Transportation, the rules also have incentives hidden in the form of credits, for sophisticated technologies namely diesel-hybrid and electric power trains as well as fuel cell vehicles.
Operators of fleet vehicles are the most targeted customers since they are the best customers for higher efficiency skills as fuel takes up the biggest portion of the cost and fleet operators follow long-term savings, rather than paying up front.
Google+ holds the record for being the fastest rising site
Google+ has the fastest record increasing the number of users of its site. So far, Google+ already has 25 million users.
The numbers come from Comscore, an Internet traffic observer. According to the Internet watcher site, Google+ reached 25 million before its first month.
Comscore notice that it took Facebook around 35 months to get 25 million visitors. It took Twitter over 30 months, and it took Myspace in excess of 20 months to reach the 25 million-user mark.
Vice president at Comscore, Andrew Lipsman say he trying to put Google+ extraordinary growth in a context by the current market leader as of now is Facebook despite the fact that it has the longest period for the site to reach 25 million.
Lipsman noted that not all the 25 million users are active users. Some are just curious enough to see what Google+ can offer them. It would be fascinating to find out how many people are actively using the site to communicate with their love ones.
The truth is that it is hard to overlook the impressive growth numbers, but Lipsman believe that there are also many visitors who are just curious but not yet ready to use it.
He also noted that Google+ is still in the initial trial phase. Anyone could not join Google+ without a user of the site inviting them first.
Dan Olds, an analyst for The Gabriel Consulting Group, say the numbers are remarkable, but that is because Google+ has the name of Google to back it up.
Olds also noted that the fact now reaches 25 million does not mean that it can sustain those numbers to grow bigger than Facebook. Facebook has started when social site are not that popular to understand, and the same thing goes with Myspace. Google+, on the other hand, had help from Google since it has the franchise name on it even though the company is not yet advertising the site.
Olds added that Facebook was the first mass market social network, and Myspace was the pioneer. Both sites were unknown and had to start from the bottom and rise.
The Comscore takes note that the U.S. leads in Google+ visitors averaging around 6,440,000 from home and work computers (not from mobile devices). India arrives at second place with over 3,600,000 Google+ users. Both Canada and the U.K. have about than 1 million visitors and Spain enter the top 10 with more than 460,000.
According to Comscore, 63% of Google+ users are male.
A car that could power other electric devices
Pretty soon electric cars would be use not only to take you to where you want to go to, but also to cook food or run electricity powered device such as television, radio and others. That is if the power goes out for a long time.
Of course, it could not replace the electricity that we could get from electric companies since electricity is unlimited. Electricity coming from a car limited since its powered by a battery. Electric cars get charged from electric plugs in the house.
As of now, Mitsubishi is developing a car that could upsurge the electricity discharge of the electric car, which is enough, for powering gadgets such as mobile phone. The company wants the car to produce electricity up to 1500 watts.
Head of the company’s electric-vehicle business, Yoshikazu Nakamura says it is enough to power a rice cooker.
The Japan earthquake, which resulted to, the meltdown of the Fokushima nuclear power plant, gave them the idea.
In the next year, Toyota will be offering its brand new electric car in the market. It has a new feature that will let the car power appliances – AC electric outlets.
Analyst at consulting company Carnorama in Tokyo, Takeshi Miyao thinks that the disaster might be a blessing in disguise for the car companies as it may open an opportunity for them to present the electric car for used as a back-up power supply.
With the recent incident that occurs in Japan, there might be numerous blackout happening since there is a power shortage.
The cars can be charge at night when electric use is not at its peak. It could mean more saving more money since the midnight electricity usage is not that high compared to the daytime electricity usage.
All you need to be able to use the battery of the car for running appliances is a 30cm device, which Mitsubishi sells for an added $230. It can be plug-in into a socket in the i-MiEv’s interior, and converts the battery’s direct current into alternating current, so that the appliances will be able to use it.
Since the March disaster, the company Mitsubishi has been working on the battery. The company has a goal of presenting the new battery before the end of this year.
Nissan is going to unveil a discharge system for electric cars by next month. The battery of their car has a capacity of 2,400 watts; however, it is not yet decided how many watts could be discharge from the car.