If I told you a city in one of the Koreas banned Uber, the taxi hailing app, you would probably guess Pyongyang, right? Guess again.
It’s Seoul, the capital, largest city and business/social hub of South Korea, that is seeking a ban on Uber. Government leaders in Seoul are calling Uber illegal. South Korean law forbids for profit?transportation or go-betweens for that transport that isn’t government registered. ?This app is by no means government?registered. Back in April 2013, one driver was fined nearly $1,000 for using Uber.?Seoul plans to?launch it’s?own?app, very similar to Uber,?by December 2014. But Uber spokespeople in Seoul are fighting back. ?One said outlawing this app puts the city in danger of moving backwards globally and economically.
Seoul, South Korea isn’t the only city?not in?love with the Uber app. Cities throughout Europe are raising chaos over this app. Brussels, Belgium and Berlin, Germany banned the app. Hamberg, Germany wants too. London cabbies have protested Uber in droves. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an app (that wasn’t violently or sexually or language explicit) cause such international controversy. I did a blog about the London protest. I said it then and I say it now, people don’t like change and cab companies are scared to death this is going to cut into their profits. And since taxis are higher taxed in these nations, governments are fearful Uber’s going to cut into their bottom line. Plus Uber can tell people how much a trip is going to cost. This makes cabbies more accountable as consumers become more street wise to meter milking. What are your feeling on Uber?
I did a few blogs about not so good news about Amazon. But Amazon is offering a deal that few people can refuse.
Amazon’s Kindle has announced an all you can read deal. That’s right: over 600,000?books will be available to all Kindle owners on their Kindle devices for the insanely low price of $9.99 a month. This includes audiobooks. That’s not all: You can try one month of this absolutely free and they’re throwing in their Whispersync service, which allows the Kindle reader to switch between manual and audio reading, even in the middle of a book. Amazon doesn’t have the backing or blessing of all publishing companies, but you can read some big name books in this deal, including series like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. I apologize in advanced for our international fans because this deal available in the US only. Don’t kill the messenger.
Thinking about checking out this deal on your new Kindle and need it set up? Give us a call at Computer Geeks, and we can do the entire set up for you!
I find it coincidental they launch this when Amazon is in a publishing war with Hachette and others. Even celebrities have publically talked down about Amazon, even calling them names and comparing Amazon to organized crime. So this $9.99 a month deal comes in. And these publishers don’t like it. So what’s the motive of this borderline too good to be true deal? Are they trying be in good graces with their customers? Or are they using this deal to get at their enemies even more?
Do you know the age old saying, “A closed mouth is never fed”? You don’t need to tell that to the technology world; they know the importance of advertising and promotion. Well, most of them do anyway.
Google dominates the race in net digital ad revenue and net mobile ad revenue race. In digital ads, they own 31% of the spoils, while in mobile ads, they took home a whopping half of all revenue. Facebook places a distant second, raking in eight percent of digital ad revenue and nearly a fourth of mobile ad sales. Microsoft and Yahoo are fighting it out for third on the digital ad list, while Twitter is making quite the rising scene in the mobile ad market shares.
But what struck me was the number of companies that didn’t even make one percent of one or both charts. And I’m talking big name tech based companies. Companies like? AOL, Twitter, Amazon and Linkedin didn’t even one percent of digital ad revenue, but Google got nearly a third. Companies like Millennial Media, Yelp and Amazon don’t make one percent of the mobile ad market. Meanwhile, Google and Facebook has nearly three-fourth of that market under their control. So what’s going on here? I doubt Twitter and Amazon just don’t care about these ads, but these numbers are really disproportionate. I get that not all these companies have the same amount of revenue, or even will, for global ads, but for the numbers to be like this? What advantages do Google and Facebook have over the others in digital and mobile advertising?
Several of my blogs lately have been about the upcoming technological phenom called the smartwatch. All the tech giants, Apple, Samsung, Google and others are getting involved. But is anybody buying it?
But according to some surveys and reports, the smart watch may not be the next big thing. One survey by Accenture said fewer than half would purchase this device. At best, 20 million smart watches will be sold in 2014. That may sound like a lot, but compared to phones, tablets and other devices, it’s really not. Last year, some watches sold so little that they had to be pulled off of shelves.
But wait: isn’t this supposed to be the next technological revolution? Some argue that anything you can do on these watches you can do with a cell phone device. Some say they’re too bulky and ugly and since you need a computer device to go along with them anyway, why bother? You know, I remember when mobile and smartphones got extremely popular, digital watches decreased. Is this a way to bring back watch revenue? If so, watches will have to go above and beyond, like accept and process payments wherever you go. That’s right…smartphones do that already. They’re doing well in the Silicon Valley area, but what will it take for the smart watch to cross into mainstream? Will it take cooler apps? Will it take lower prices? Will it take a slick marketing campaign? Who wants a smartwatch at all?
Later in 2014, Samsung will be releasing a virtual reality device. It’s going to be called Gear VR. This device will be introduced alongside the anticipated Galaxy Note 4.
Instead of using headsets, Samsung’s virtual reality will let the user link in a Galaxy device into Gear VR. The VR will process the smartphone’s power to track head motion. Also, their AMOLED display technology will be used to ensure a quality, unforgettable virtual reality trip. A head band and padded cushion should make Gear VR easy and comfortable to wear. There’s a see through button which connects to the smartphone’s rear camera The consumer will have a feed with the outside world. This way, the user won’t have to take the device off and put it on again and again. This button helps navigate through the users’ interface.
I wonder how much this will cost. Since Samsung is developing the hardware alone, so hopefully that will control the cost. Something tells me this isn’t going to be your 1980s virtual reality. Sounds like they’re making preparations for 21st century virtual reality. But I was struck by one thing: you can only use Samusng devices for the Gear VR. How would the VR do if all devices were allowed? How do you think the Gear VR will be a success or flop?
The technology wearable contest intensifies. Samsung started the revolution. Then came Apple. Google and Android started collaborating. You knew it was only a matter of time before Microsoft was getting in on the action.
Some sources are saying Microsoft will release a fitness band with smartphone technologies. This isn’t expected to be a watch, just a wristband. This mystery device could be released in fall 2014. But here’s the advantage of a potential Microsoft wristband: It will work with all devices, not just click with the same brand. In addition to this, it will offer the same thing as other wrist technology does, checking heart rates, calories burned and other health apps. I’m sure they’ll be other cool apps coming. Remember, this is Microsoft here.
Maybe this is why they’re doing this spectacular move of all devices working with this potential wristband. That is a huge one up on the competition. Some say they’re giving too much away to their competitors, but this is genius. I’d love it to have a device that respects other companies. The price is expected to be the same as other fitness bands. And frankly, who cares if it doesn’t have a watch. It’s 2014. Aren’t there watches and clocks all around you now?
