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Korean site ET News reports that Samsung has cut its smartphone sales target for 2014 from 360M handsets to 330M. The company’s original goal would have represented 25 percent year-on-year growth, now reduced to just 14 percent.

The company is blaming saturation at the top end of the market, with many existing owners of flagship handsets having reduced their upgrade cycle from annual to bi-annual.

Samsung as a whole isn’t hurting – it recently announced record revenues and profits – but the bulk of those earnings came from lower-end handsets and its chip manufacturing business. The ET News piece says that Samsung also plans to move into a whole bunch of new areas, including cloud computing and hi-tech materials …
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Foursquare opens up local ads to all small businesses

Jordan Kahn Oct 14 2013 - 6:50 am PT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8JqUlQj43M

Foursquare is squarely moving into Google’s territory with the announcement today that it is officially opening up its local ad platform to all of the 1.5 million claimed businesses in the app. That means that no longer will only a select group of partners be able to offer “Promoted” listings within the app– something Foursquare has been testing in recent months– but now all small businesses will have the opportunity to place local ads.

The benefit over, say, Google’s ads platform for local businesses, is the ability for merchants to actually see if their ad leads to a real customer walking into their store:

Today, we’re opening Foursquare Ads to all small businesses around the world. We’re moving past the days when business owners have to figure out if a “like” or a “click” has any meaning in the real world; now they can tell if someone who saw their ad actually walks into their store. We built this to be simple and flexible, learning from our four years of data and relationships with over 1.5 million claimed businesses. Any merchant can monitor how many people have viewed their ad, how many have tapped on it, and how many actually came into their store. Merchants know what they’re paying for – real actions and real customers.

Business owners interested in creating ads on Foursquare can do so at foursquare.com/ads.
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Samsung announces “Samsung Solution Exchange’, a mobile app store for businesses

Jordan Kahn Sep 25 2013 - 7:09 am PT

Samsung-Solutions-Exchange

Samsung announced today that it is launching the “Samsung Solution Exchange” to offer unique mobile solutions to business owners. The app marketplace of sorts will offer businesses an easy way to find productivity and business related apps from third-party developers that are specifically suited for Samsung devices:

The Samsung Solutions Exchange delivers a range of offerings from third party providers that increase productivity and ROI, including sales and management applications, mobile device management solutions, cloud services, collaboration tools and security solutions – all designed to make it easier for enterprises to succeed in the new era of mobile business with our robust suite of SAFE devices.

Samsung says it will work with third-party developers, MDM providers, and sales channels to “systematically identify unique customer requirements and rapidly deliver end-to-end solutions.” To do that it will be making its SDK available to those that are part of the new Samsung Solution Exchange and a web portal will make it possible for business to discover new mobile solutions.

You can learn more about the new program on Samsung’s business website here.

The story of how Google picked “OK, Glass” to activate the wearable device

Seth Weintraub Jul 16 2013 - 2:15 pm PT

Interesting G+ Post from Amanda Rosenberg on the genesis of the “OK Glass” hot word which activates the Glass headset:

In the car on the way back, Mat told me about how the team had been working on the “hotword” for Glass. I must confess, I did not know what “hotword” meant. Did I ask what it meant? No. Did I nod whilst looking pensive? You bet your glass I did. As I listened to Mat, I quickly* * * * deduced that he was referring to the phrase that sets off the Glass menu. He then asked me if I had any ideas for the hotword. In that moment the only phrase I could think of was ‘OK Glass’. I didn’t tell him straightaway though. Instead, I continued to look pensive and muttered something about ‘looking into it’ just to appear as though I was going to put more than 3 seconds of work into it.

Interestingly, it appears that OK has migrated to “OK Google Now” in Motorola’s upcoming X Phones.
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Google adds sports scores, weather, and more editors’ picks to Google News

Jordan Kahn Jun 28 2013 - 12:00 pm PT

Google-News-weather

Google-News-Sports-Scores Google announced today on the official Google News blog that it’s rolling out new features for Google News users including an expanded 4-day weather section built into the right side of the homepage, more Editors’ Picks throughout various News sections, and sports scores:

For avid sports fans, a newly introduced “Sports Scores” section on the News homepage and the Sports page will give a snapshot of live, recently concluded and imminent sporting activity. From this summary, it’s easy to dive in further and do things like click on a score for details of the match or on a specific team to get recent news about it. The section is customizable; for example, if you prefer not to see hockey scores, you can turn hockey ‘off’ while keeping the other sports ‘on’. You can also remove the entire section if you prefer. At the outset, we’re launching in the US, with the big four sporting organizations covering basketball, football, baseball and hockey. Over time, this section will expand to other countries and sports. Stay tuned.

Google notes that the new weather section will automatically adjust to your current location and it is now including more Editors’ Picks sections across Technology and Business pages instead of just on the News homepage.
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Android leads in smartphone marketshare; iPhone, iPad leads in business, profitability

Zac Hall Apr 17 2013 - 10:40 am PT

: via techin5.com

Henry McCracken over at Time has done us all a favor by collecting various data sets that illustrate the state of iOS versus Android.

The data ranges from device marketshare to revenue from app downloads, which presents some stark differences between the two platforms.

We unpack the results below.

Google Places for Business gets interface update and improved integration

Élyse Betters Apr 3 2013 - 7:39 am PT

Google refreshed Google Places for Business last night with a new look and feel.

The streamlined interface now makes it easier for businesses to update their information, and a helpful widget will even outline what they should do to fully complete profiles.

Profile edits will also now appear across all of Google’s products, like Google Maps, within 48 hours, but the improved integration doesn’t stop there. The official Google and Your Business blog has the story:

Through this upgraded interface, you will be able to access your local Google+ page to take advantage of social features like sharing photos, videos, or posts. For businesses who also use AdWords Express and Google Offers, managing your ads and promotions is easier than ever. You can check results and make edits directly from your upgraded Places for Business dashboard.

Google creating new late-stage investment group as it replaces M&A chief

Jordan Kahn Dec 7 2012 - 11:41 am PT

According to a report from Reuters, citing its usual “sources familiar with the matter,” Google is in the process of creating a new late-stage investment group that its current chief of mergers and acquisitions David Lawlee will oversee. The report did not provide much more information, but it claimed the new investment fund would focus on “longtime and outgoing corporate development.” Replacing Lawlee as head of M&A at Google is one of Google’s lawyers, Don Harrison:

Don Harrison, a high-ranking lawyer at Google, will replace Lawee as head of the Internet search company’s mergers and acquisitions team.

Google Maps updated with improvements to interior panoramic imagery

Jordan Kahn Sep 18 2012 - 2:05 pm PT

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMWxBpM-MSA&feature=youtu.be]

Google has been working with businesses to get panoramic Street View-style imagery for quiet a while to essentially provide Google Maps users with the ability to browse the inside of retail stores and other buildings. Today, Google is rolling out some improvements to the feature including an easier way to access the 360-degree imagery. Now, when browsing Google Maps, you can drag the orange Pegman onto any orange circle (which indicate a location with interior imagery) to zoom right into the building:

Now, if you’re searching or browsing Google Maps and want to check out what a business looks like on the inside, we’ve improved your ability to find and view these 360-degree panoramics. Simply drag and drop the orange Pegman on the left hand side of your screen onto an orange circle on the map. Voila! You’ll be virtually transported through the doors, and able to pan around and explore the interior of the establishment.

Google also posted the video above showing off where to find some of these interior business photos.

Google rolls out new panoramic Street View imagery of Brazil and pre-hispanic Mexican cities (9to5google.com)
A look at how Google builds accurate maps with ‘Ground Truth’ data (9to5google.com)
Google Maps updated with new Street View imagery to celebrate Space Day (9to5google.com)

Families of Googlers who pass away receive 5 years of salary spread over 10 years

Jordan Kahn Aug 8 2012 - 1:45 pm PT

In a recent interview with Forbes regarding benefits for Google employees, Google Chief People Officer Laszlo Bock explained the company has recently announced death benefits for Googlers.

“This might sound ridiculous,” Bock told me recently in a conversation on the ever-evolving benefits at Google, “But we’ve announced death benefits at Google.”

According to Bock, spouses of Googlers whom pass away while employed at the company will continue to receive 50 percent of the employee’s annual salary for 10 years following. Children will also receive $1,000 monthly until they reach 19 (or 23 if they are a full-time student):

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Google Apps for Business users can now remotely wipe their mobile device if lost or stolen

Jake Smith Aug 2 2012 - 2:43 pm PT

Google introduced a new feature last year for Google Apps for Business admins that allows them to manage a large set of mobile devices across all platforms. Admins can make settings, like allowing or blocking the phone’s camera, which then requires employees to set passwords on their devices, and making a way for administrators to set data encryption policies for users’ devices. It is an easy way to manage a ton of devices.

To hopefully make things a bit easier, Google unveiled a new feature for administrators today that gives users (employees) the ability to remotely wipe data off their phone from the moment it is lost or stolen. The feature is very similar to Apple’s Find My iPhone, which just today allowed New York Times reporter David Pogue to locate his iPhone. Users will be able to view their device from the “My Devices” page, where the PIN on the phone can be reset and the device can be locked, rung, or wiped. Non-work Android device users have had a similar feature for quite sometime. We all know it is a scary situation when a personal artifact is lost, so having the ability to somehow find it is always welcomed.

[Enterprise Blog]

Google acquires KikScore technology

Élyse Betters Jun 4 2012 - 10:24 am PT

According to KikScore’s official blog:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3YiL59pBCc]

KikScore announced that Google acquired its technology.

We are excited to announce that the KikScore technology and certain assets have been acquired. As of June 28, 2012, the KikScore service will no longer be available to customers. We recommend that our customers check out the Google Trusted Store product as an alternative to the KikScore service. In fact, we wrote this post last October that describes how complimentary the KikScore and Google Trusted Store products are for small businesses. We are very proud of the more than two years that we offered the KikScore service and are so grateful to the 1700+ small business customers that we have served globally.

The buyout, as SearchEngineLand first noted, will bulk Google’s Trusted Stores program. The service helps online shoppers to identify stores with a safe and superior online shopping experience, which is possible through supervision of product shipping times and customer service. It also extends $1, 000 in purchase protection warranty.

KikScore is a similar service that also offers seals for non-online retailers and local businesses. It foremost guarantees online businesses, however, and aggregates information about management, website history, and details on customer service satisfaction.

The financial aspects of the acquisition were not revealed.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=FKXPeIeKYd8]

Ex-Google board member Michael Moritz cuts Sequoia involvement due to ‘incurable disease’

Élyse Betters May 21 2012 - 9:01 am PT

Michael Moritz, a former member of Google’s Board of Directors, announced today that he is stepping down from his managing partner post at venture firm Sequoia Capital due to an incurable disease.

He will now become a chairman at the top-tier firm that has backed many startups-turned-goldmines in the last 20 years, including Google, PayPal, and Yahoo. The title change will curtail daily activity involvement so Moritz can focus on living a full life while beating the odds.

The letter Moritz sent to limited partners this morning is below (via TechCrunch):

Dear …,

We have always tried to be straightforward with you and, in that spirt, I need to share something. Unfortunately, I have been diagnosed with a rare medical condition which can be managed but is incurable. I’ve been told that in the next five to ten years the quality of my life is quite likely to decline. Right now I feel fitter than ever and I hope that I’ll be one of the lucky ones who can live a full life and defy the statisticians. But there is no way of predicting this with certainty and thus for me, life has assumed a different meaning and I am making some adjustments.

I am going to extract myself from the daily management of Sequoia Capital, a task that has consumed a large part of my time for the past sixteen years. I will become Chairman of Sequoia Capital and will be deeply involved with nurturing the fresh investments, ideas and relationships that can be of significant long-term benefit for all of us. I will also work very closely with some of our younger and newer members, will continue my role as Managing Member of existing funds and maintain all my current company responsibilities. I will use twelve to fourteen weeks – sprinkled throughout the course of each year – for various pursuits, diversions and trivial indulgences.

Nothing about this should cause much of a change because everything that has been achieved at Sequoia Capital has resulted from the teamwork and contribution of many people. Our overall business is in the best shape it has ever been and we are better positioned than at any time in our forty year history. Doug Leone will assume full responsibility for coordinating the business we have gradually developed over the past couple of decades and almost everything else remains entirely the same.

Thanks for your support,

Michael Moritz

It’s in the Vault! Google announces $5/user/year Apps tool for document preservation

Seth Weintraub Mar 28 2012 - 1:06 pm PT

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZd_hIln1-I]

Today, Google Enterprise announced a new offering designed to aid Apps customers in managing information and preserving important data. “Vault” is aimed at easing document and email management as it relates to corporate litigation, regulatory investigation and compliance actions.

Businesses of all sizes need to be prepared for the unexpected. In today’s environment, using Vault to manage, archive and preserve your data can help protect your business. Litigation costs can really take a toll on a business when minor lawsuits can run up to many thousands of dollars, and larger lawsuits can cost even more. Significant litigation costs come from having to search and find relevant data, which is also known as electronic discovery (eDiscovery).

The tool costs $5/user/year and will knock down some walls of companies who would not have been able to get Google Apps if it were not for this tool.
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How to get Android Market onto your Kindle Fire

Seth Weintraub Nov 17 2011 - 1:06 am PT

It you want access to all of the apps on the Android platform (including all of Google’s great apps) on your Kindle, you’ll want to get the Android Market on there. Once rooted, it is a pretty straightforward process as outlined in the steps below. Is the Kindle going to replace the Nook as the go-to cheap hacking Android Tablet?
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Google launches GoMo mobile website initiative at Howtogomo.com

Jordan Kahn Nov 1 2011 - 11:05 am PT

2 Comments

Google will be holding a new event known as “Mobilizing Mobile” on November 14th (via Alabama Live) where they will open a storefront in downtown Mobile, Alabama and offer free developer services to build mobile (Android) optimized websites for businesses. Google will also cover hosting costs of the mobile websites for one year.

President of Red Square Agency Rich Sullivan (who organized the event on behalf of Goog) says the event kicks off Google’s larger “mobile-website initiative” known as “GoMo”. As noticed by Fusible, Google today made the Howtogomo.com website live, which provides the following description of the mobile-website development resource on its About page:

GoMo is a Google-led initiative dedicated to helping businesses “Go Mobile” by providing them with the tools and resources they need to make their websites more mobile-friendly. On the GoMo website, businesses can see how their sites look on a mobile device using the GoMoMeter tool and get personalized recommendations for creating a more mobile-friendly experience. The site also has information on current mobile trends and mobile site best practices, as well as a list of developers ready to help companies build their mobile sites.

The site is essentially a huge resource for businesses, organizations, and developers interested in learning more about optimizing their content for mobile. This includes Mobile Best Practices, Case Studies, and the Get Started tool for finding an agency you can hire to build your mobile site. There is also a GoMo Meter tool that lets you enter the URL of your site and test its mobile browser compatibility (a full PDF report can also be downloaded). Agencies interested in signing up to be listed as a vendor can do so here.

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Google Galaxy Nexus Site goes live

Seth Weintraub Oct 18 2011 - 11:05 pm PT

3 Comments

You’ve seen the screens and the videos. Now, go get the executive summery and sign up for news.
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Panasonic’s new BizPad tablets get the Toughbook treatment

Jordan Kahn Oct 13 2011 - 10:15 am PT

In what looks like Toughbook tech for tablets, Panasonic Japan has announced a new lineup of rugged, built for business Android tablets.

The two models to debut in the BizPad tablet line include the 7-inch BizPad JT-580VT and the 10.1-inch BizPad JT-581VT. Both tablets, according to TechCrunch, are water-, dust-, and shock-proof, with the 10.1-inch model able to absorb impacts from up to an 80cm fall, and 120cm for the 7-inch.

The BizPad T-581VT(above) sports a 10.1-inch 1024×800 LCD display, built-in 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, a 1.3-megapixel camera, weighs in at 700g. We aren’t sure when the device will be landing stateside, but Japanese users will get their hands on in January of next year.

The 7-inch T-581VT BizPad model (below) packs in 3G capabilities, a 5-megapixel camera, and a 7-inch 1024×600 resolution LCD display, built-in 802.11a/b/g/n, and weighs in at 400g. It’s doesn’t look as pretty as many of the other Android tablet alternatives, or even the 10.1-inch BizPad, but certainly looks like it can handle some abuse. This model will hit Japan in December.

Features included in both devices:

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Bizztrust virtual “work phones” bring BlackBerry-like security to Android

Jordan Kahn Oct 11 2011 - 10:08 am PT

Bizztrust is essentially a customized version of Android created by the Center for Advanced Security Research Darmstadt (CASED) and Fraunhofer trade group specifically to bring BlackBerry-like business class security to Android users.

With Bizztrust for Android installed, applications are then installed into one of two partitions– “work” and “personal”. Users can quickly swipe between either partition using an onscreen toggle baked into the UI. Of course, a business’s IT team will control anything installed on the “work” partition, while the end user will have full control of their “personal” partition. Any content installed on the work partition is also automatically scanned before a user is granted access to the company network and any transferred data is automatically encrypted. If an issue is detected prior to the user joining the network, any apps related to the issue will be disabled.

Ahmad-Reza Sadeghi of CASED says Bizztrust “significantly improves the security of today’s mobile terminals at no cost to user-friendliness.” If successful, this could be a huge hit to RIM’s quickly decreasing market share which still greatly relies on business users, as the Blackberry’s security features are often its only selling point.

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Google picks up electronic stored information legal expert for Apps unit

Seth Weintraub Aug 12 2011 - 10:47 am PT

Jack Halprin, currently lists his employer as Autonomy where he was the Vice President, eDiscovery and Compliance.

But we’ve heard from a source in the know that he’s made a move to Google and will be in charge of Google’s management of electronically stored information (ESI) for both legal and information governance purposes in their Apps/Postini wing. His background includes “managing social media for legal and governance purposes, defensible processes for managing discovery, proportionality, and the reduction of eDiscovery costs” –which will certainly help Google prepare companies who are moving infrastructure into Google’s Cloud offerings.

This follows Google’s Enterprise’s pickup of Matthew Eichner, who now manages Global Enterprise Search, earlier this year.

Halprin provides the following background in his Linked in Profile:
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Google+ business profiles to feature analytics and more sharing features

Jake Smith Jul 24 2011 - 12:22 am PT

While we’ve already reported Google will release business profiles for Google+, VentureBeat is reporting these business profiles will be getting some pretty cool features.. besides a company page. The new features include analytics and more sharing features, while consumer accounts will be left without. Business profiles are due out in the coming months in an open beta, while VentureBeat says analytics and sharing features will be due out around Q3 2011.

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Google+ company pages coming in the next few months in open beta

Jake Smith Jul 21 2011 - 8:23 pm PT

[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4oafKRykUg”]

Google’s Christian Oestlien announced on Google+ tonight that company pages on Google+ will be coming in the next few months to everyone in an open beta. Oestlien says “tens of thousands of businesses, charities, and other organization” have applied since registration started almost two weeks ago. Originally, Google was going to use a select group of businesses chosen from their registration.

While you wait over the next few months, Google doesn’t want you to create a page for your business — rather use a person to represent your business. Google has already closed down Mashable and numerous other businesses. Shh…

Staples offers $100 off coupon for Android Tablets

Seth Weintraub Jul 20 2011 - 9:54 am PT

From 9to5toys.com:

(Click to print)

That little marvel above means the Acer iConia Tab is $299 after coupon, the ASUS EeePad Transformer is $299 as well and the Dell Streak 7 drops to a paltry $199. The Motorola Xoom drops to $399. Not bad for folks who have a Staples nearby.

Remember, only one per person per day and not good for the Nook Color – which you can get from Barnes and Noble for $199.