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New Media News Break: Bald Barbies, Instagram on Android, Google Glasses, and More

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Welcome to your Wednesday afternoon break from work. Here are some new media stories in the news that you may have missed since our last New Media News Break:

Mattel Responds to Facebook Fans and Creates a Bald Barbie

Facebook fans took to the virtual streets recently, campaigning for Barbie manufacturer Mattel to produce a new doll – one without hair. The bald beauty would be for kids who have cancer, since children in the hospital often feel self-conscious about their hair loss. Mattel responded to the campaigning, announcing a new doll that won’t be sold in stores, but that will be distributed to children’s hospitals in the United States and Canada. They say they won’t be selling the dolls, which come with hats, scarves, and wigs that can be interchanged, because they don’t want to profit from the project. Personally, I’d like to see them also sell the dolls with proceeds going toward cancer research, since other little girls might want a bald friend as well or cancer patients might want more than one doll. But it’s a great story about a company listening to their fans and doing the right thing despite it costing the company money.

Instagram Comes to Android

In a long-waited move, Instagram finally came to Android this week, allowing millions of new users to download this photo-sharing app. Over a million people downloaded it the first day alone. Instagram for Android has most of the same features that current Instagram users have been enjoying since 2010, and already I’ve been seeing a flood of new pictures in my social streams. For picture-based content creators, this is definitely a win! Right now, you can download the new Instagram app on your Android smartphone (tablets are not yet supported), and users join the same community when they register in order to share pictures with friends.

Jeremy Lin Chats on Facebook After Surgery

It’s important to connect with fan, but basketball star Jeremy Lin took it to the next level this week when he held a Facebook chat just a few hours after his knee surgery. He may have had to take a break in the middle of it to toss his cookies (seriously), but thousands of fans “tuned in” to talk to the player and ask questions. He also announced during the chat that he’d be posting YouTube videos throughout his recovery so fans can stay up-to-date with what’s going on. Now that’s a humbling lesson for us all – if Jeremy Lin can post updates while he’s still in the hospital, we’re not too busy to post updates for our fans as well!

Google Starts Testing New SmartPhone Glasses

Google employees are starting tests on the latest “smart” device. Instead of a phone or tablet, though, what Google is testing is something you can wear – glasses. They recorded some videos to get early fan feedback, and already the web is buzzing with possibilities and potential pitfalls. It’s definitely an interesting concept, and one that highlights just how important it is for use content creators to make our blog posts, videos, podcasts, photographs, etc. available using smart devices. Luckily, development is happening on that front with companies like Yapp making it easier for people who have little technical knowledge create their very own apps. It’s easy to get stuck in our ways, but if we don’t evolves and go where our fans are, we’ll be missing out on traffic and sales opportunities.

“Amazon Law” Revoked in Colorado

Over the past few years, Amazon has been dumping affiliates in some states because of new laws surrounding taxation of Amazon’s products. In Colorado, however, the “Amazon Law” has been officially revoked by a federal court. This bodes well for bloggers and other users who want to get back into the Amazon affiliate game, but who live in a state where tax laws are currently preventing it. More than 25,000 affiliates found themselves out in the cold due to these tax laws, so it will be interesting to see if affiliates, many of whom were mad not just at their states but also at Amazon, start linking to the online retailer once again. Grudges sometimes die hard.

Facebook Aims to Get in the Search Game

Google might want to get a little worried – according to reports, Facebook is getting into the search game, or at least exploring this option. former Google employee Lars Rasmussen is heading up the development project with Facebook, which some speculate would be a major blow to Google+. It’s not all bad news for Google, though. The company actually wants competitors and is being vocal about it, since the EU is currently in the middle of an antitrust investigation, with critics saying that Google abuses its power in the search market to direct users to its own brand and decrease competitor viability.

In Case You Missed It

Here’s what you might have missed on the BlogWorld blog in the past week:

Awesome from the Archives

There are some golden posts in the post hidden in the BlogWorld archives. Here are three of my favorites that I think you should check out:

Check back every Wednesday for a New Media News Break just when you need it!

Which Came First – The Android or the iPhone?

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No, the above headline isn’t a joke with a punchline or anything, it’s in response to an interview with Google’s Chairman Eric Schmidt.

He’s currently in South Korea and was asked by reporters about a comment Steve Jobs made saying  Android was a rip-off of the iPhone.

The following statement was included in the Steve Jobs biography written by Walter Isaacson.

“I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple’s $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong. I’m going to destroy Android, because it’s a stolen product. I’m willing to go thermonuclear war on this.”

Sshmidt’s response was “I’ve decided not to comment on what’s been written on a book after his death. Steve is a fantastic human being and someone who I miss very dearly. As a general comment, I think most people would agree that Google is a great innovator and I would also point out that the Android effort started before the iPhone effort.”

Some are saying it’s not the timeline that’s in question here, rather the features of the Android phone.

The Next Web says, “When the HTC Dream was introduced (sans multitouch) in 2008, it had transformed itself into a mirror-world version of the iPhone. By 2010, Android phones had incorporated multitouch technology and other features popularized in the phone market by Apple, sparking Jobs’ ire.”

What are your thoughts – Is it a timing issue or a features issue? Or, do you even care?

 

40 Percent of Mobile Phone Users Own Smartphones

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The growth of smartphones continues to be on the rise according to a recent study released by Nielsen. The data shows that 40% of mobile phone users own Smartphones.

As far as the operating system, Android OS comes in first place with 40%, while Apple iOS is in second place, with 28 percent. Be sure to check out this map to see which state you live in – Android or iPhone.

The survey also covers possible future trends with those who say they want to purchase a smartphone in the next year. One-third said they would like an Android device and another one-third said they would like an iPhone. (I personally just went with an Android device and love it.)

Android is in the lead as the “Next Desired Operating System” with those who typically purchase the latest technology first.

As for the “Not Sures”, those are  people who purchase the latest technology gadgets later on and who don’t see its value as much as the “Innovators”.

Why do you think there’s a slight swing (40% as opposed to 32%) to an Android device with the “Innovators”?

Google Acquires Motorola Mobility for $12.5 Billion

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Google made a huge announcement this morning. They have come into an agreement to acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, which some are saying is an unusual move for the company.

What’s the reason for the big move on Google’s part? It “will enable Google to supercharge the Android ecosystem and will enhance competition in mobile computing”.

Larry Page, CEO of Google, said, “Motorola Mobility’s total commitment to Android has created a natural fit for our two companies. Together, we will create amazing user experiences that supercharge the entire Android ecosystem for the benefit of consumers, partners and developers. I look forward to welcoming Motorolans to our family of Googlers.”

Sanjay Jha, CEO of Motorola Mobility, released a statement saying, “This transaction offers significant value for Motorola Mobility’s stockholders and provides compelling new opportunities for our employees, customers, and partners around the world. We have shared a productive partnership with Google to advance the Android platform, and now through this combination we will be able to do even more to innovate and deliver outstanding mobility solutions across our mobile devices and home businesses.”

This recent news is heating up both online and offline news sources. What are your thoughts on this purchase made by Google?

Android or iPhone – Which State Do You Live In?

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Do you think you live in an Android state or iPhone state? I was guessing Android for my state of Texas and I was right. Jumptap put out a report this morning with a map showing which mobile activity each state in the U.S. has more of.

As you can see from the map above, the Southern and Western states (Texas, Florida, California) are over-index towards Android, while the Midwest and New England states are Apple dominated. (And as this TechCrunch writer pointed out, New York is embarrassingly Blackberry dominated. Why is that?)

Last month, a report was released which showed the Android operating system had the largest share with 39%, followed by Apple with 28%. There are obviously more Android phones out there, but how well are the mobile ads performing? This graph shows that Apple products like the iPod, iPad and iPhone do better with click-through rates.

Despite who is doing better, overall these click through rates are poor. “Forget Android versus Apple for a moment. What that data says is that mobile ads are failing across the board.”

So tell us – do you live in an Android or Apple state…or Blackberry?

Source

Android is Top Operating System in the U.S.

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Nielsen released news today that Google’s Android operating system is the largest smartphone system in the United States. Android has the largest share with 39%, followed by Apple with 28% and RIM with 20%.

Apple still holds the title of top smartphone manufacturer in the United States, with HTC, Samsung and Motorola following behind.

Nielsen put out a similar report in March stating that Android was at the top, so this isn’t new news about them grabbing a top spot from someone, but rather an update that they’re still numero uno. Although it’s share is bigger now than the March report stated, which was at 29%.

Here’s a visual from Nielson which gives you an idea of the current standings.

So tell us – what operating system and smartphone do you use? I use the Android operating system on my tablet and so far love it. As for my smartphone purchase, I used to own a Blackberry and am carefully considering what my next purchase should be. Any advice on what I should choose?

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