Thanks to Steve Cunningham for this mornings webinar with Seth Godin. I now know what to do with my Lizard Brain and how to go forward. Key takeaways for me:
1. Society pushes average as it's easy to handle
2. Make all the important decisions at the beginning
3. Own your own space, Blog, Website, TV, new media
4. Become more generous, do more, create a gift
5. SHIP - make it go out the door.
FULL VIDEO SUMMARY OF LINCHPIN?
In preparation for our upcoming webinar with Seth Godin, we thought we would show you this exclusive summary previously only available to Read It For Me Pro subscribers. We thought that if you are going to watch the webinar, you should at least have a good sense of what the book is about. We hope you enjoy!
Google’s bombshell announcement to retreat from China puts the country’s Internet management system in the spotlight. In the west’s eyes, there is no network freedom in China and Chinese netizens are kept silent out of fear, the truth might be another story.
The Internet world is characterized by opening and anarchy. To maintaining a healthy and stable Internet environment, China has its obligation to block any Internet contents relating to national security, pornography and violence.
Moreover, China is not the only one with the management of Internet. In US, after the 9/11 attacks, George. W. Bush enacted the The 2001 USA Patriot Act to censor the Internet and authorize the US government or law enforcing departments to block any on-line content that endangers national security and in Germany, laws also require all the Internet cafes to censor and block anything about racism, terrorism, violence and pornography.
So the Internet world is not absolutely free, but it can develop well by proper management. Under the government’s regulation, China’s Internet society and business are not refrained, but going into their prosperity.
The Chinese Internet society is expanding in terms of volume and power. Internet users hit 384 million by the end of 2009, according to report by China Internet Network Center (CNNIC). It has the largest population of Internet users.
Besides that, Chinese netizens are flexing their muscles. As more and more news is exposed and hyped by Internet instead of traditional media, the Internet has grown to be an independent source of news and a main channel for grass root netizens to express their opinion and participate in the public affairs. Netizen’s supervision has helped improve the governance and achieve judicial justice
It is still clearly remembered that netizens’ scrutiny of a traffic accident, in which a wealthy drag racer killed a pedestrian at a high speed in Hanzhou the capital city of Zhejiang province, forced the police to revise its original arbitrary investigation statement and finally got the driver into jail. The Internet is on its way to promote China to be a more open and democratic society.
China’s Internet industry also shows its energy. The economic scale of China’s Internet industry reached 74.3 billion yuan in 2009, increasing by 30.7% to 2008 and it is estimate to be more than 100 billion yuan in 2010, according to the report by iResearch, a professional organization specializing in in-depth studying of customer behavior in Internet media and e-commerce.
The Internet market is also full of opportunities. Quite a number of Chinese Internet enterprises grow to be a giant from scratch. China’s privately hold the Alibaba Group, has reached Internet users in more than 240 countries and regions and successfully purchased Yahoo.cn in 2005 and its subsidiary Alibaba.com is the global leader in business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce. This has proved to world that Internet companies can succeed in China if they operate in the right way.
Baidu defeats Google in the Chinese market. Compared to Google, Baidu does a better job in the understanding of the local market, understanding of Chinese characters in Mandarin and the relations with advertisers.
China’s flourishing Internet industry and society demonstrates the country's Internet world develops well under its characteristic management. The market will continue its development in its own way, no matter whether there is Google.cn or not. It is unfair to China that the west puts their finger into China’s Internet regulation.
Google Voice (formerly GrandCentral) is a telecommunications service by Google launched on 11 March 2009. The service provides a U.S. phone number, chosen by the user from available numbers in selected area codes, free of charge to each user account. Inbound calls to this number are forwarded to other phone numbers of the subscriber. Outbound calls may be placed to domestic and international destinations by dialing the Google Voice number or from a web-based application. Inbound and outbound calls to US (incl. Alaska and Hawaii) and Canada are free of charge, while international calls are billed according to a schedule posted on the Google Voice website.
The service is configured and maintained by the user in a web-based application, styled after Google's e-mail service, Gmail. Users must have an established U.S. telephone service to activate Google Voice. Users must configure this and optionally, additional phone numbers that ring simultaneously when the Google Voice number receives a call. The user may answer and receive the call on any of the ringing phones. Google Voice provides additional features such as voicemail, call history, conference calling, call screening, blocking of unwanted calls, and voice transcription to text of voicemail messages. Received calls may be moved between configured telephones during a call.
Canada has a new technology star coming to public markets, with Calgary-based Smart Technologies reportedly preparing for an initial public offering that could value the company at as much as $2-billion (U.S.).
Smart has made its name as a maker of digital whiteboard technologies that have rapidly become popular in classrooms and boardrooms. The firm was quietly involved in one of the biggest tech deals of the last couple years in Canada when the founders sold a stake to private-equity firm Apax Partners, another deal that RBC advised on. Intel Capital and the founders are looking at an IPO of as much as 20 per cent of the company.
Google annouced its results for the 4th quarter beating analyst estimates.
Revenue rose 17% from a year ago on strong ad sales.
Revenue for the quarter ended December 31, excluding traffic acquisition costs, was $4.95 billion, slightly higher than the $4.92 billion analysts were expecting. Including those costs, Google posted total revenue of $6.67 billion.
Earnings were $2.19 billion, or $6.79 a share, higher than the analyst expectations of earnings per share of $6.50, and up from year-ago earnings of $1.62 billion, or $5.10 per share.
Traffic acquisition costs, the portion of revenue shared with Google’s partners, totaled $1.72 billion and represented 27 percent of ad revenue.
Paid clicks rose 13 percent from a year ago and the average cost per click increased 5 percent.
However despite the good news Google shares are down 5% to $554.21 in aftermarket trading.
Could this be a good time to invest in Clearwire Communications (CLWR) they have entered into an agreement with Google to collaborate on a number of products and services. Clearwire Communications will also support the open-source Android platform and will work with Google to to offer certain other applications.
Major investors in Clearwire Communications are Sprint, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, Intel and Google.
Steve Cunningham produces great summary videos featuring the worlds business books. If you haven't the time to read them then watch the video; a feast of visual learning. I'm a fan I particularly liked the Seth Godin interview, perhaps when you take a look you will become one too.
Mobile tech retailers in Ontario are expecting a big boost in sales for hands-free products as the province's cellphone ban comes into effect.
On Tuesday, Queen's Park passed Bill 118, banning people from using hand-held devices while driving -- but the law won't be enforced until at least this fall.
The latest "must have" is the popular Jawbone bluetooth headset which is getting an update. The new Jawbone PRIME model, which is designed to offer better performance and a more cutomizable fit, will be available later this week.
The Jawbone PRIME features updated better noise elimination than past versions, thanks to its updated NoiseAssassin technology, the company says. I tested the last version of Aliph's NoiseAssassin when reviewing the current Jawbone headset, and found that it worked very well. Aliph says the new Jawbone also includes a digital wind reduction feature, making it easier to use outside.
In addition, the PRIME will feature more customization options for finding a comfortable fit. You'll get an earhook, three round earbuds in varying sizes, and three "new fit" earbuds, which are designed for a better fit if you opt not to use the earhook.
The PRIME is available in a variety of colors, including standards like black, plus bright hues like purple and green. It will be available on May 2 for $130.
Look on your desk, in your draws you probably by now are the proud owner of at least one USB drive.
What's on that drive? Nothing, a few files, PowerPoint, a PDF, link to a website.
Most of the time that's it, you wipe off those files and use it to store your own stuff!
Now imagine if you used the power of that drive, it's got a memory, it has a unique number, it can be setup to communicate, it can store stuff that is useful and it can present it in an easy way on and off line.
NEW YORK, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Clearwire Corp (CLWR) said on Thursday its shareholders had voted to approve its proposed high-speed wireless joint venture with Sprint Nextel Corp (S) that includes an investment of $3.2 billion from cable, Web and chip partners. Analysts had widely expected the vote, which was the last remaining hurdle for the deal, to be in favor of the venture, which will take on the Clearwire name. The venture would build a network based on WiMax, an emerging high-speed wireless technology. Clearwire, which has the consent of the majority of its lenders, said it expects to amend and restate its credit agreements shortly to permit the deal. In early May Clearwire and Sprint announced plans for a $14.5 billion venture that they hope would give them a head-start on AT&T Inc (T) and Verizon Wireless in developing the next generation of wireless data services. As part of the deal, five strategic partners are investing a combined $3.2 billion in the venture. They include Intel Corp (INTC), Google Inc (GOOG), Comcast Corp (CMCSA), Time Warner Cable Inc (TWC) and Bright House Networks. It wasn't immediately clear why shares of both Clearwire and Sprint were down sharply following the news. Clearwire fell 23 percent to $4.46 at mid-afternoon on Nasdaq. Sprint dropped 20 percent to $1.50 on New York Stock Exchange. (Reporting by Sinead Carew, editing by Richard Chang)
USB graphics productivity is available now in a fun new pint size package. Powered by DisplayLink technology, the Nanovision MIMO 7" USB connected and powered LCD mini monitors are a friendly and affordable way to add productivity to notebook and desktop computers.
Hitting the Korean market first, the Nanovision MIMO monitors are ideal for dedicating visual workspace to applications that are used at a glance, such as instant messaging and calendars. MIMO is also perfect for Gadgets and Widget applications like news and weather monitoring and multimedia playback such as digital TV, video conferencing, MP3s, photos and more.
"Nanovision gives you what you want, when you want it," said Hamid Farzaneh, president and CEO of DisplayLink. "Fun applications are always within view, while reserving your main screens to the productivity task at hand."
Using USB for both connectivity and power, Nanovision is able to offer MIMO at consumer price points. The 700 series starts with the UM-710 7". Priced at 130,000 South Korean Won (US $129), it supports 800x480 resolution and both landscape and portrait orientation and either mirror or extend display modes.
"By exclusively becoming a USB device, the monitor has been transformed from a PC component to a consumer electronics gadget," added Farzaneh. "And by integrating multi-function features like VoIP, DTV and Touch Panels, the interesting uses for this technology have yet to be fully realized."
The MIMO model UM-730 adds a complete videophone with 1.3M Webcam, MIC and earphone jack, and the UM-750 features a Touch Screen. Nanovision sells direct to consumers and to electronics Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). For more information about Nanovision and the MIMO mini display visit www.nanovision.co.kr
"The MIMO mini display is so versatile," concluded Farzaneh. "We can't wait to see it make its way to desks worldwide."
About DisplayLink
DisplayLink Corp. is a chip and software company that helps people to create simple connections between computers and displays -- via USB or Ethernet. Its innovations make it easy to get more visual workspace while taking less time, money and energy than competing multi-monitor solutions. Using universally accepted wired or wireless networking protocols and proprietary software compression techniques, DisplayLink technology can transmit graphically rich content between a single device and multiple displays over a network. Leading global manufacturers have integrated DisplayLink technology into an array of PC accessories including monitors, video docking stations, display adapters and projectors. More information is at www.displaylink.com.
Ahead of the finalization of its joint venture with Sprint Nextel's Xohm unit, Clearwire Corp. provided details about its top management, and said its chief financial officer was leaving the company.
In an SEC filing, Ben Wolff, Clearwire's CEO, said that Barry West would be the company's president and chief architect, and that Atish Gude would serve as the chief marketing officer of the mobile WiMAX company. In the filing, Wolff also said that CFO Jon Butler would be stepping down to "spend more time with his family."
Both West and Gude will relocate to Clearwire's offices in Seattle.
Clearwire announced in May that it was merging with Sprint's Xohm unit to create a new company, and the joint venture has received billions of dollars in capital investment from Google, Comcast, Intel and other Internet and technology power players. Wolff said he expects to have all staff positions finalized by Oct. 31.
Integration of Adobe Flash onto OpenTV Middleware To Enable New Applications and User Interfaces
SAN JOSE, Calif. and AMSTERDAM — At IBC2008 OpenTV Corp. (Nasdaq: OPTV), a leading provider of advanced television services, and Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE), today announced that they have agreed to integrate Adobe® Flash® Lite™ software onto OpenTV middleware as an additional application environment, complementing OpenTV’s standard and HTML offerings, further enhancing Web browsing capabilities and strengthening the development of rich applications and user interfaces.
The agreement is based on a longstanding relationship between the two companies. OpenTV is also joining the Open Screen Project and will be working with Adobe and other members of the initiative to define the TV profile and Open Screen requirements to help enable great user experiences on television screens. Announced in May 2008, the Open Screen Project brings together industry leaders to deliver a consistent runtime environment across desktops, televisions and mobile devices by leveraging Adobe Flash technology and Adobe AIR™software.
“This collaboration is significant in that it brings two market leaders together to provide the best solutions for consumers of digital television,” said Tracy Geist, OpenTV’s senior vice president of Market Development. “By combining our technologies, the authoring and development benefits of Adobe Flash with the digital TV experience and technology of OpenTV, we’re opening the door to a host of new service possibilities for operators and developers worldwide.”
“Together, Adobe and OpenTV can push the boundaries of digital TV application development and bridge the gap between various sources of content, such as Web and television,” said Gary Kovacs, vice president and general manager, of Mobile and Devices at Adobe. “By combining the rich graphical effects of Flash technology with the advanced features of OpenTV’s Core middleware, we’re enabling developers of digital television services to leverage the best technologies for the delivery of advanced services to consumers worldwide.”
Extending OpenTV middleware to support Adobe Flash technology will be yet another key platform differentiator for OpenTV’s customers, allowing them to easily combine web technologies such as HTML and Adobe Flash to deploy new, rich services faster and readily generate time-sensitive applications such as advertising and other enhanced TV applications.
Availability
The first commercial deployment of OpenTV Core2 middleware with integrated Adobe Flash support is expected to be targeted at the Japanese market in the second half of 2009.
About OpenTV
OpenTV is one of the world’s leading providers of advanced digital television solutions and is dedicated to creating and delivering compelling viewing experiences to consumers of digital content worldwide. The company’s software has been integrated in more than 111 million devices around the world, and enables enhances program guides, video-on-demand, personal video recording, enhanced television, interactive and addressable advertising and a variety of enhanced television applications. For more information, please visit www.opentv.com
About Adobe Systems Incorporated
Adobe revolutionizes how the world engages with ideas and information - anytime, anywhere and through any medium. For more information, visit www.adobe.com .
Google Chrome is an open source web browser developed by Google (named after the user interface frame of web browsers). It builds on components from other open source software, including WebKit and Mozilla, and is aimed at improving stability, speed and security, with a simple and efficient user interface.
The beta for the Windows version is due to be released September 2, 2008. Google will host a conference press that day at 18:00 GMT. Mac OS X and Linux versions are under development and will follow the Windows version.
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) today announced Google Video™ for business, a new application in Google Apps™ for sharing video in an organization in two easy steps -- simply upload a video to Google Apps, and then invite others to view it. With Google Video for business, anyone can upload a video -- on anything ranging from executive communications to product training to trip reports -- and share it securely with individuals or the entire company. Google Video for business is now available as part of Google Apps Premier Edition at no additional cost.
"YouTube™ has enabled millions of consumers to easily capture and share video at an unprecedented level, yet corporate video has remained expensive and complicated," said Dave Girouard, president of enterprise, Google. "With Google Video for business, our customers get the ease of YouTube combined with the simple and secure sharing of Google Apps."
With Google Video for business, companies can leverage the power and intimacy of video to communicate all flavors of corporate information including:
* Leadership communications such as business updates and corporate announcements * Training and how-to videos to share product knowledge and business expertise * Customer insight derived from site visits, interviews, or focus groups * Social videos that evangelize relevant activity and initiatives across an organization
"Productivity and other improvements driven by the telephone over the last hundred years, and email within the last 20, will now continue with broad use of video in the business environment," said Manesh Patel, chief information officer and senior vice president of IT, Sanmina-SCI. "Cost and complexity have until now limited the effective use of video to improve business functions. The integration of video into Google Apps, combined with continuing improvements in video devices and network infrastructure, provides significant opportunities for innovation and saving throughout our global teams."
Sharing video is as simple as clicking "browse" to find a video and "upload" to start sharing. Google Apps gives video owners multiple controls for sharing videos such as:
* share videos with individuals, groups, or the entire organization * add descriptions and tags * embed videos in any internal web page, including Google Sites
Viewers across the organization can:
* search for any video to which they have access * view high-quality video from popular browsers (including Safari on iPhone) * submit ratings, comments and additional tags * optionally download videos for viewing offline or on portable devices
Google Video for business is available now in English to Google Apps Premier Edition accounts at no additional cost. Each Google Apps Premier Edition domain gets 3GB of Video storage per user account. Existing Premier Edition administrators can enable Google Video for business immediately from the Google Apps control panel. A version for Google Apps Education Edition customers that allows faculty and staff to upload and share videos with students will be available on September 8 for free trial until March 9, 2009, at which point it will cost $10 per user, per year.
Google Apps brings simple, powerful communication and collaboration tools to organizations. With Google Apps, users can use tools such as Gmail™ webmail service, Google Talk™ instant messaging service, Google Calendar™ calendaring service, Google Docs™ program, Google Sites™ web application, the Start Page for creating a customizable homepage, and now Google Video for business on their own domain to work together more effectively. To sign up for Google Apps or learn more, please visit www.google.com/a.
About Google Inc.
Google’s innovative search technologies connect millions of people around the world with information every day. Founded in 1998 by Stanford Ph.D. students Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Google today is a top web property in all major global markets. Google’s targeted advertising program provides businesses of all sizes with measurable results, while enhancing the overall web experience for users. Google is headquartered in Silicon Valley with offices throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. For more information, please visit www.google.com.
Google, Google Video, Google Apps, YouTube, Gmail, Google Talk, Google Calendar, Google Docs, and Google Sites are trademarks of Google Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the companies with which they are associated.
New Palm Treo Pro, a WindowsMobile device with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a slick new design. Thisbusiness-centric handset is the big brother to the super-successful PalmCentro.
