LONDON, Oct. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- TagLikeMe Corp. ("TagLikeMe" or "the Company") (OTCQB:TAGG), a social media development company, says the company has planned the release of its mobile apps for three of the major mobile platforms by Q4 2012.

The release of the new apps will incorporate all of the major functions of TagLikeMe's social search and share online capabilities in a sleek, new, compact and highly efficient social mobile interface with the potential to reach an enormous audience across all of the major platforms including iOS, Android, and Windows 8 systems.

Richard Elliot-Square, President of TagLikeMe Corp. states, "Our release of apps for the entire slate of mobile platforms in Q4 is a major step towards putting TagLikeMe on every device and in the hands of virtually anyone who wants to search and share with a social interest. According to current market data, there are over 1.6 billion mobile users who are accessing information at an incredible rate. We want to engage that audience and rapidly become the most useful and used app across all platforms."

The importance of the new mobile apps cannot be understated. The iPhone has now sold over 210 million units since the original iPhone launched in 2007, as well as 25 million iPads in just 14 months. Additionally, Android devices have taken over a large share of the market with over 300 million Android devices now in use throughout the world, as well as 12 million tablets, giving it a top spot on tablet devices as well.

Planned introductions for the TagLikeMe mobile apps include major enhancements that are most useful for TagLikeMe.com users. These include the ability to better manage tags (or bookmarks) and place them into projects; the ability to place projects into folders; more user controlled settings for search and tagging, and the ability to operate seamlessly between the iPad and a local desktop or notebook continuing on the same TagLikeMe projects.

Microsoft announced the introduction of its new Surface Tablet mobile computing device in April 2012. The company expects to release the units to the public in tandem with the introduction of Windows 8 scheduled for October 26, 2012. According to Microsoft, the Surface Tablet will operate on the new Windows 8 operating system.

Google's Android platform is designed primarily for smartphones and tablets, however the open and customizable nature of the operating system allows it to be used on other electronics, including laptops and netbooks, smartbooks, ebook readers, and smart TVs (Google TV). It is considered the fastest growing mobile platform in the world used by more than 300 million devices.

TagLikeMe Corp. expects to roll-out individual versions of TagLikeMe for mobile platforms over the next 90 days, kicking off with the first introduction on the Apple's iOS platform followed by the Google Android and Windows 8 after its introduction.

About TagLikeMe Corp.

TagLikeMe Corp. owns and operates TagLikeMe.com, an Internet services platform that combines the most commonly used functions of search and social media interaction in one destination. TagLikeMe.com allows individuals to search the Internet by using the top three search engines of Yahoo™, Bing™ and Google™, in addition to viewing related activities from popular social media based sites such as Facebook™, YouTube™, Twitter™ and Wikipedia ™ in a single search inquiry. It also gives searchers the opportunity to connect, chat and share with others worldwide that might be searching similar topics. This adds a much-needed human element to search and online social interaction.

For more information see www.TagLikeMeCorp.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release may contain certain "forward-looking statements" relating to the business of TagLikeMe Corp.. All statements, other than statements of historical fact included herein are "forward-looking statements" including statements regarding the advantages of TagLikeMe's products and services, anticipated advantages resulting from the merger, whether funding anticipated from completing the merger will result,, successful completion and development of the social media component of the business and its market acceptance, the business strategy, plans and objectives of the Company and TagLikeMe Corp.; and any other statements of non-historical information. These forward-looking statements are often identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believes," "expects", "intended" or similar expressions, involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, they do involve assumptions, risks and uncertainties, and these expectations may prove to be incorrect. Investors should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company's actual results and ultimate corporate actions could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including the perception of investors of the newly merged company and their willingness to fund this newly public company, the demand for a social media site and viability of it for advertising, new products and services developed by other companies, market share garnered by competitors, ability to maintain customer and vendor relationships, and those factors discussed in the Company's periodic reports that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on its website (http://www.sec.gov), among other factors. All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors. Other than as required under the securities laws, the Company does not assume a duty to update these forward-looking statements.

SOURCE TagLikeMe Corp.

LONDON, October 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

If you're planning a tour with friends, a girly weekend away, a holiday with the kids, or you just want some quality time with your other half, HostelBookers, the budget accommodation specialist, has an extensive property inventory in Dublin, Belfast and Cork to meet every traveller's requirement.

Dublin

In the vibrant area of Smithfield in Dublin Generator Hostel creates an international hub of activity. The hostel is within a short walking distance of the main party district of Temple Bar and just a few minute's tram ride from the main shopping area of Henry Street and O'Connell Street. Prices start from £7.92 per person per night.

Belfast

Sleepy Cedar Bed and Breakfast is ideally situated to climb Cavehill, Belfast's landmark hill which gives great views over the city, including the Titanic shipyard. The B&B's unique character lies in the many original features it retains, alongside many modern facilities. It features large airy bedrooms, wooden floors, comfortable beds, luxurious linen and sympathetic modernisation. Art from around the world adorns the walls and each bedroom has been originally decorated. Private rooms from £24.50 per person per night.

Cork

Garnish House is a charming bed & breakfast located just opposite the beautiful grounds of the University College Cork. The accommodation is ideally located for Cork city shoppers, nightlife lovers and those who prefer quieter pursuits such as leisurely strolls along the river bank, parks and historic sites of the city. It boasts an award-winning gourmet menu with over 30 options, including traditional full Irish and house specialities. Private rooms from £20.60 per person per night.

HostelBookers' partner Tourism Ireland stated: "Ireland offers beauty, tradition and culture. Whether visitors are looking for a relaxing break, a great value holiday or an action stay, there is never a better time to visit this beautiful country."

For more details please visit http://www.hostelbookers.com/tourism/ireland/

Contact: giovanna.gentile@hostelbookers.com, t: +44(0)20-7440-4905

SOURCE HostelBookers.com

LONDON, October 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

OLTIN YO'L GTL has set a new Guinness World Record for the largest light picture with over a million LED lights spread over an area of over three quarters of a million square metres, the equivalent of approximately one hundred full-sized football pitches.

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121005/567320-a )

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121005/567320-b )

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121005/567320-c )

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121005/567320-d )

The light picture is of a full scale plan of the proposed OLTIN YO'L GTL plant in Shurtan, Uzbekistan. The record attempt, which broke the previous record of 50,010 LED lights, was in recognition of the launch of OLTIN YO'L GTL.

OLTIN YO'L GTL is a joint venture between Uzbekneftegaz, Sasol and PETRONAS, and will produce a range of high-value product streams through gas-to-liquids technology.

"We are delighted with this achievement. GTL is a leading light in the global energy landscape and it is through this spirit of innovation that will see Uzbekistan become a global destination of cleaner, high-value energy solutions," said James Vaughan, General Director, OLTIN YO'L GTL.

The record attempt saw 24 kilometres of lighting with 1,012,840 LED lights and 14 kilometres of power cables used. It also needed 302 kilowatts of power from three generators, a railway station and a nearby gas and chemicals plant.

For more details please see:

http://www.oltinyolgtl.com/051012-release-supporting-details

SOURCE OLTIN YO'L GTL

ALISO VIEJO, Calif., Oct. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Microsemi Corporation (Nasdaq: MSCC), a leading provider of semiconductor solutions differentiated by power, security, reliability and performance, today announced Amr El-Ashmawi has joined the company as worldwide vice president of strategic marketing. In this newly created role, El-Ashmawi will lead the development and implementation of the defense & security and industrial vertical market strategies.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110909/MM66070LOGO)

"Amr's extensive experience in high growth applications in the defense & security and industrial markets, coupled with his in-depth knowledge of semiconductor system solutions, will be invaluable in accelerating our growth in these key vertical markets," said Garcia. "In this integral role, Amr will leverage our broad product technology portfolio of RF, analog & mixed-signal, and programmable logic technologies to deliver more highly integrated, secure and reliable system solutions to our customers."

"I am excited about joining Microsemi and the opportunity to work for a world-class, growth-oriented company," said El-Ashmawi. "Microsemi is committed to providing its customers with industry-leading system solutions that solve challenging industry issues. I look forward to driving the market and business strategies and accelerating content growth at Microsemi."

El-Ashmawi has spent more than 18 years in the high-tech industry. Prior to joining Microsemi he spent over eight years at Altera in senior leadership roles within the defense, security and high-performance computing business vertical market groups.

About Microsemi
Microsemi Corporation (Nasdaq: MSCC) offers a comprehensive portfolio of semiconductor and system solutions for communications, defense & security, aerospace and industrial markets. Products include high-performance, radiation-hardened and highly reliable analog mixed-signal integrated circuits, FPGAs, SoCs and ASICs; power management products; timing and voice processing devices; RF solutions; discrete components; security technologies and scalable anti-tamper products; Power-over-Ethernet ICs and midspans; as well as custom design capabilities and services. Microsemi is headquartered in Aliso Viejo, Calif., and has approximately 3,000 employees globally. Learn more at www.microsemi.com.  

Microsemi and the Microsemi logo are registered trademarks or service marks of Microsemi Corporation and/or its affiliates. Third-party trademarks and service marks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Any statements set forth in this news release that are not entirely historical and factual in nature, including without limitation statements related to its new worldwide vice president of strategic marketing, and its potential effects on future business, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. The potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, such factors as rapidly changing technology and product obsolescence, potential cost increases, variations in customer order preferences, weakness or competitive pricing environment of the marketplace, uncertain demand for and acceptance of the company's products, adverse circumstances in any of our end markets, results of in-process or planned development or marketing and promotional campaigns, difficulties foreseeing future demand, potential non-realization of expected orders or non-realization of backlog, product returns, product liability, and other potential unexpected business and economic conditions or adverse changes in current or expected industry conditions, difficulties and costs of protecting patents and other proprietary rights, inventory obsolescence and difficulties regarding customer qualification of products. In addition to these factors and any other factors mentioned elsewhere in this news release, the reader should refer as well to the factors, uncertainties or risks identified in the company's most recent Form 10-K and all subsequent Form 10-Q reports filed by Microsemi with the SEC. Additional risk factors may be identified from time to time in Microsemi's future filings. The forward-looking statements included in this release speak only as of the date hereof, and Microsemi does not undertake any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

SOURCE Microsemi Corporation

SILVER SPRING, Md., Oct. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Discovery Channel and Lexus have joined together to give audiences the pinnacle in engaged viewing experiences with Winged Planet Plus, a highly immersive simultaneous viewing app for iPad and available online at Discovery.com/WingedPlanet. The app was custom-created for the astonishing two-hour programming event, WINGED PLANET, which lets viewers experience the breathtaking physical wonders of the world from a bird's eye view. WINGED PLANET premieres on Discovery Channel in the U.S. this Saturday, October 6 at 8pm ET/PT.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121005/PH87506LOGO )

Made possible by Lexus, Winged Planet Plus allows viewers to fully engage with the program through close to 100 exclusive pieces of astounding content – all audio-synced to the special. Available as an update to the Discovery Channel iPad App, Winged Planet Plus will include extra scenes, one-of-a-kind photos, production notes, highlights of the cutting edge technology used in the special, as well as deleted scenes, factoids and trivia. Visitors to Discovery.com can also enjoy the immersive experience timed to the 8pm ET/PT premiere on Saturday.

Highlights of the Discovery Channel and Lexus partnership include exclusive branding for Lexus on the Winged Planet section of Discovery.com; homepage promotion; co-branded on-air tune-ins and prominent Lexus exposure across app features including the photo gallery, video, quizzes and a pre-show video, among many other elements.  As a presenting sponsor, Lexus will also receive prominent branding on-air during the WINGED PLANET premiere in the form of in-program mentions throughout the two-hour event.

"We are incredibly proud to partner with Lexus on such a groundbreaking, immersive event as WINGED PLANET," said Brent Spitzer, vice president, Digital Advertising Sales, Discovery Communications. "Through Lexus' innovative partnership, we will give viewers an unprecedented opportunity to experience the majesty and awe of WINGED PLANET, while creating a highly receptive environment for consumers to receive Lexus' quality brand messages."

In the U.S. premiere of the Discovery Channel/BBC co-production WINGED PLANET, viewers experience the astonishing physical wonders of the world from a bird's eye view. This two-hour special event comes from award winning filmmaker John Downer (Elephants: Spy in the Herd; Tiger: Spy in the Jungle; and Polar Bears: Spy on the Ice), who transformed wildlife filmmaking through the pioneering use of spy cameras to capture nature's most intimate moments.  For WINGED PLANET, Downer developed a new team of Spycams to offer viewers a jaw-dropping view of the world from an entirely different perspective, and allowing an up-close and personal view with these magnificent creatures.

The Discovery Channel HD App for iPad, including Winged Planet Plus, is available for free from the iTunes App Store.

About Discovery Channel

Discovery Channel is dedicated to creating the highest quality non-fiction content that informs and entertains its consumers about the world in all its wonder, diversity and amazement. The network, which is distributed to 100.8 million U.S. homes, can be seen in 210 countries and territories, offering a signature mix of compelling, high-end production values and vivid cinematography across genres including, science and technology, exploration, adventure, history and in-depth, behind-the-scenes glimpses at the people, places and organizations that shape and share our world. For more information, please visit www.discovery.com.

About Discovery Communications

Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world's #1 nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.8 billion cumulative subscribers in 209 countries and territories. Discovery is dedicated to satisfying curiosity through 149 worldwide television networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Science and Investigation Discovery, as well as U.S. joint venture networks OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, The Hub and 3net, the first 24-hour 3D network. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools and owns and operates a diversified portfolio of digital media services, including Revision3. For more information, please visit www.discoverycommunications.com.

SOURCE Discovery Communications

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Oct. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB) announced today that it has acquired assets of privately-held Refraction Technology, Inc. (REF TEK) of Plano, Texas, a leading provider of seismic sensors and high-frequency data logging systems. The asset acquisition is expected to extend Trimble's infrastructure solutions for scientific research and monitoring applications. Financial terms were not disclosed.

REF TEK provides seismometers, seismic recorders, motion recorders, accelerometers and software for seismic and earthquake engineering systems to government, scientific research and structural monitoring organizations. The systems are used for earthquake hazard mitigation, emergency response and warning assessment, construction code and land use planning as well as oil, gas and mining exploration.

"The addition of REF TEK's products augment Trimble's traditional role in seismic monitoring and extend our portfolio of infrastructure solutions," said Ulrich Vollath, general manager of Trimble's Infrastructure Division. "By combining GPS, seismic sensors and associated software, Trimble will be able to provide complete solutions that serve as a central data integration hub for multiple sensors to address a wide range of monitoring applications."

"We are extremely excited to be a part of Trimble. Integrating our core, market-leading technologies – GNSS for Trimble and seismic data loggers for REF TEK – will make it possible for customers to coherently measure both static and dynamic motion," said Paul Passmore, CEO of REF TEK. "We will continue to produce superior instruments for the earth science community with the advantage of leveraging Trimble's global resources."

The REF TEK business will be reported in Trimble's Engineering and Construction segment.

About Refraction Technology

Refraction Technology, Inc. produces digital recording instruments for imaging studies and earthquake research applications. The company offers high-resolution broadband seismic and strong motion recorders that collect seismic data for monitoring earthquakes and micro seismic events. REF TEK also provides sensors, and command/control and processing software solutions. Its products are designed for unmanned field-portable seismic recording applications. Founded in 1975, Refraction Technology is based in Plano, Texas.

For more information, visit:  www.reftek.com.

About Trimble

Trimble applies technology to make field and mobile workers in businesses and government significantly more productive. Solutions are focused on applications requiring position or location: including surveying, construction, agriculture, fleet and asset management, public safety and mapping. In addition to utilizing positioning technologies, such as GPS, lasers and optics, Trimble solutions may include software content specific to the needs of the user. Wireless technologies are utilized to deliver the solution to the user and to ensure a tight coupling of the field and the back office. Founded in 1978, Trimble is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif.

For more information, visit:  www.trimble.com.

Certain statements made in this press release are forward looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.These statements involve risks and uncertainties, and actual events and results may differ materially from those described in this news release. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, Trimble's ability to successfully integrate REF TEK's products and services with Trimble solutions, maintain quality and improve future product offerings, and otherwise realize the anticipated benefits of the asset acquisition. Additional risks and uncertainties include: the risks inherent in integrating an acquisition; unanticipated expenditures, charges or assumed liabilities that may result from the acquisition; and retaining key personnel and commercial relationships. Information about potential factors which could affect Trimble's business and financial results is set forth in reports filed with the SEC, including Trimble's quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and its annual report on Form 10-K. All forward looking statements are based on information available to Trimble as of the date hereof, and Trimble assumes no obligation to update such statements.

GTRMB

SOURCE Trimble

Rovio Entertainment is launching a Star Wars feature into Angry Birds. The Company joined hands with  Lucasfilm announcing a new blockbuster entertainment franchise collaboration; Angry Birds Star Wars.

The unique partnership will combine all the fun of the classic Angry Birds and Angry Birds Space with the characters and stories of the epic space fantasy, Star Wars.

Starring as the iconic heroes of the cray series, the Angry Birds characters will entertain you in the deserts of Tatooine to the depths of the Death Star.

"This is the best 'Angry Birds' game we've ever done. It's the best parts of 'Angry Birds' with all new cutting-edge gameplay set in in a galaxy far, far away," said Peter Vesterbacka, the Mighty Eagle and CMO of Rovio. “As a big 'Star Wars' fan myself, I'm really excited about this new universe. The Force is definitely strong with this one."

Angry Birds Star Warswill be available to download on Android and iOS on Nov. 8. The Angry BirdsTumblr pagelets you choose your destiny: “I’m on the Porkside” or “Rebel Without a Squawk.”

The release will also come with additional goodies such as plush toys and board games. This fall will see unveiling of merchandise ranging from Halloween costumes and apparel to action figures and collectible plush toys will be available at select retailers, starting October 28.

Rovio also revealed its Angry Birds sequel, Bad Piggies in September.

"Both 'Star Wars' and 'Angry Birds' share the instant and irresistible appeal of hands-on fun,” said Colum Slevin, Vice President, Head of Studio Operations for Lucasfilm Ltd. “People seem to instinctively know what to do when handed a lightsaber or a bird in a slingshot, so this is a natural combination.”

Fans will also get to enjoy new videos, characters, and much more content. The game will be available on iOS, Android, Amazon Kindle Fire, Mac, PC, Windows Phone and Windows 8.

Skype is the new target of getting malware and spam. According to multiple reports from security firms, as well as from a community forum thread on Skype.com, the popular communications service is the latest target of a malicious online worm identified as “Dorkbot.” The worm has previously infected both Twitter and Facebook, and is known to send out messages to trick users into clicking on links.

For example, if you’ve ever received a tweet or message with some variation on “lol is this your new profile pic?” followed by a link, that could have been the Dorkbot worm in action. Trend Micro, the security firm refers to the Skype worm as “spreading fast.” The Company’s blog says that the users have seen messages in both English and German, and links point to a download on Hotfile.com labeled as “Skype_todaysupdate.zip,” containing the payload.Te

In the past, there have been many variants of the Dorkbot attack on other social networks, and it can also spread on USB sticks and via IM.

The worm’s payload is rather vicious - after compromising the affected machine, it joins the machine to a botnet and locks users out of their computer. While in the past, Dorkbot went after user credentials, this new attack uses what’s known as “ransomware.” Users are warned that their files will be deleted if they don’t pay $200 within 24 hours. Sophos’ (another Security company) Graham Cluley describes this as being like “kidnappers shooting hostages one by one, if their demands aren’t met…it’s really creepy, unpleasant behavior – and sadly becoming more common,” he says.

Users are asked as always not to click on unexpected links.

Update: Skype responds with the following statement:

Skype takes the user experience very seriously, particularly when it comes to security. We are aware of this malicious activity and are working quickly to mitigate its impact. We strongly recommend upgrading to the newest Skype version and applying updated security features on your computer. Additionally, following links – even when from your contacts – that look strange or are unexpected is not advisable.

Apple's CEO Tim Cook released a statement:

Steve's passing one year ago today was a sad and difficult time for all of us. I hope that today everyone will reflect on his extraordinary life and the many ways he made the world a better place.

One of the greatest gifts Steve gave to the world is Apple. No company has ever inspired such creativity or set such high standards for itself. Our values originated from Steve and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple. We share the great privilege and responsibility of carrying his legacy into the future.

I'm incredibly proud of the work we are doing, delivering products that our customers love and dreaming up new ones that will delight them down the road. It's a wonderful tribute to Steve's memory and everything he stood for.
- Tim

Ohio State University marching band’s gave a stunning performance at the halftime show. The Video managed nearly 1 million views in just 24 hours:

The clip shot at this past weekend’s Ohio State University football game against the University of Nebraska — displays a variety of video games, from Tetris and Super Mario Bros. to Zelda, Pokémon and Halo.

What’s perhaps more interesting about the nearly nine-minute performance is that the marching bands only have one week to learn new songs and choreography without skipping the classes.

Take a look at the video at the six-minute mark for the running horse.

The group ain't called “The Best Damn Band in the Land.” for nothin'.

Yet another effort performed to combine physical and digital world. Lexus was successful in adding digital technology innovatively to its print ad for its new 2013 ES sedan in the October 15 issue of Sports Illustrated.

The automobile comes to life in print turning on its headlights, changing colors, and exposing its interior as throbbing music plays in this highly interactive print ad in the Magazine.

Download the iPad edition of SI, place the iPad under the actual magazine page displaying the ad, dim the lights and watch it all unfold. The ad comes to life using a Lexus-created technology called CinePrint, “creating a tactile and visceral connection that brings one closer to the printed page with a multi-sensory experience that combines sight, sound and touch,” says Lexus. In other words, it looks really rad. As the release from Lexus notes, most traditionally “interactive” print ads direct users away from the traditional form of interactive advertising (read QR Code.)

The move follows the CW's smartphone embedded in Entertainment Weekly, Dolce & Gabbana's video magazine test.

In the past Lexus has been among the first to include a Near Field Communication (NFC) RFID tag within its print advertising pages. In Wired's April 2012 issue, a Lexus car ad comes with a passive high-frequency (HF) tag that consumers with NFC-enabled phones can use to retrieve video and other content on their phone screens regarding the automotive company's latest offerings. Wired published 500,000 copies of the issue, each with an NFC label attached to the page containing the Lexus ad.

Lexus and its advertising agency, TeamOne, first envisioned the NFC solution in late 2011 and was intrigued with the opportunities it might provide.

Take a look at the Video below:

Written By: Stan Johnson

Using Facebook for business purposes has become so popular that Facebook has actually rearranged their entire site to make it more marketer-friendly. Just check out how the Sponsored Stories now appear in your news feed (also on your smart phone).

You may have already jumped on the Facebook bandwagon and have already started spending on your campaigns. Well, you’re probably spending too much. Before you keep putting money in, learn how to cut your ad costs on the site.

Simple Tips to Help You Cut Costs

Get the Proper Ad-Management Tool

Facebook’s Ad Manager is effective, but it’s not nearly as feature-rich as you’ll need in order to keep track of everything in order to cut costs. For this, you’re going to need a third-party platform. There are a few tools out there that do the job, but Qwaya seems to be the top-rated ad-management tool due to its easy-to-use, streamlined features and its knack for creating, splitting and tracking campaigns and ad analytics with ease. So get your hands on the right tool first and foremost.

Employ Detailed Targeting

The more targeted you can make your ads, the more money you’re going to save. In short, this is because you’ll have to launch fewer ads and campaigns, and you won’t have to spend nearly as much on bidding. Targeted ads receive higher CTR and bring you a much better ROI. Split up your campaign per gender and age demographics and define a narrower scope.

Use Sponsored Stories

Another way to amplify customer engagement, and in the long run give you value for money invested, is to use Sponsored Stories.  They will put your ads in prime position on the site and experience much higher user engagement, meaning you’ll need fewer ads and will ultimately spend a lot less money.

A sponsored story stems from an organic story (e.g. a user liking a Facebook page, commenting on a post or checking-in somewhere), and by sponsoring that organic story the story's reach is increased and thus gets more exposure.

Launch New Ads

Using the right ad-management tool for your business Facebook ads, you will be able to launch new ads (by changing the creative aspects) with ease. When you do a lot of testing and tweaking, and also target different demographics, you will come up with ads that you know work with different parts of the population.

Carefully Track Your Costs

With the proper ad-management tool, you can track your costs and figure out what you’re doing right or wrong. For instance, you can use a third-party tool and launch more campaigns with fewer ads. After tracking the data, you can easily control your bids and find a happy medium that gives you a high CTR for a much lower cost. This is only possible when you’re using a platform that enables you to split, launch and track easily.

Using a tool like Qwaya to help you might just be the platform you need to control your costs. This ad-management software is currently available for a 14-day free trial. So you can see how it works for you before you put a penny into it.

About the Author: Stan Johnson is an online writer for Qwaya, a Facebook campaign manager tool. She enjoys writing about the latest social media marketing trends and technology.

EDIMAX Technology is dedicated to the design, development, manufacture, and marketing of abroad range of networking solutions. EDIMAX targets SOHO segment and offers a range of ultra-portable, green products for the SOHO segment. They have products including 3G wireless broadband routers, ADSL modem routers, wireless nano adapters, etc. 

The Interview with Mr Eric Yang Country Manager – India at Edimax Technology.

TD: What kinds of Trends do you see in the Communications Industry?

Mr. Yang: Communications industry in the form of networking is certainly gaining popularity and acceptance. Consumers in India are becoming to realize the importance of a good hardware as they use a single device to share bandwidth with multiple gadgets. However, they are still tremendous opportunities with first time users.

TD: What separates Edimax from others in its area of Business?

Mr. Yang: Edimax as a networking vendor has gained solid ground and balanced her profiles very well. Edimax’s core business is networking which makes it easier for a channel partner or end-user to accept our products. We entirely dedicate our resources in this area of business which makes us a key player. We always launch the latest technologies in networking which helps us to enjoy the new opportunities.

TD:  What are some of the continuous improvement Strategies employed by the Company?

Mr. Yang: Edimax as a company has always strategized her business model based on resources available to the company. We have very flexible channel policies which makes it easier  reseller to associate with Edimax. We have a PAN India presence through our appointed distributor. Our products are always filled with extra features which gives end-users a value for money proposition. Our service is always up to the industry standards. We will continuously engage with end-users by sharing on latest technologies.

TD: What is your take on the security issues associated with wireless networking?

Mr. Yang: Wireless networking products have evolved very well to the demands of the users. End-users have various choices of creating a safe wireless networking environment at home and office through the various encryption options, and other methods.

TD:  How important is a Government’s role in shaping the networking industry in a country?

Mr. Yang: Government role is always a critical factor in shaping any industry. In networking particularly the impact is largely driven by various policies and guidelines drafted. For example a simple initiative of increasing the internet penetration to above 12% of the population gave a tremendous boost to the networking industry recently.

TD:  What are your plans for growth in Indian market?

Mr. Yang: Growth plans for India from the company’s perspective is to triple the revenue in the 1 year and increase the market share up to 10% in next 2 years.

About Edimax Technology

Since EDIMAX was founded in 1986, the company has grown to be among the world’s leading manufacturers of advanced network communication products. EDIMAX is headquartered in Taiwan (Republic of China) and has been listed at the Taiwanese Stock Exchange since 2001. EDIMAX’s complete product portfolio fulfills all the connectivity needs of any network architecture or application requirement. Product availability may vary according to region. More information is available at www.edimax.com

Written By: Carl Johnson

March this year saw the release of the iPad 3 the first of a series of Apple innovations due on our shelves this year.  Apple always seems to succeed in making the new product better than the last one, which is why there is such a clamour and sense of great expectation when a new product is announced.

The iPad 3 is by most accounts better than the iPad 2. Incredibly it has four times the pixels giving the retina display unprecedented clarity for a tablet.  It also boasts the A5X chip and every one of its touch screen commands is as slick as we have come to expect from Apple whose technologies are so intuitive they are often like a genuine extension of your thought process - technology acting in an unerringly organic manner.

The iPhone 5 was the subject of the most intense speculation of the entire Apple product line. Sales figures of mobile phones n the last quarter actually fell as people held out for the new iPhone release. This may be to get the previous generation iPhone at a cheaper price, or simply because they desire the iPhone 5 above all others.  

The sixth generation iPhone looked like it may have a rather revolutionary upheaval. It seemed safe to presume it’ll have a bigger screen in line with its rival the Samsung Galaxy S3, which at 4 inches was an inch less than people expected. To the great disappointment of many the general style of the phone was not set for a revamp. The most noteworthy features are inductive charging, A6 quad core chip, 4G and near field communication technology. The list of potentialities before release went on with Apple seemingly keen to let people speculate and fantasize.

The release date for the iPhone 5 was the 12th of September along with other potential news on the iPad Mini and the latest large screen iPod touch. It seemed like Apple weren’t inclined to make a mini tablet as it may damage the individuality of their current products. Furthermore, in some people’s eyes, it has no real worth but then there’s clearly a market for such a device as illustrated by the Google Nexus and Galaxy Note.

About the Author: Carl is a technology enthusiast based in London, UK. He spends most his time surfing to web for tech news. He also love gadgets and film and has a media degree from Manchester University.

If you’re looking for a dedicated service that allows you to store and manage media files in the cloud and stream through a web browser or compatible device, securely- the AudioBox reboot is the answer. The public beta release of the new AudioBox™ was announced by iCoreTech, the startup behind the open, cloud-based media platform. The new version is the result of extensive user interaction and crowd sourcing.

The team at iCoreTech didn’t want you to deal with issues like application setup, synchronization, maintenance or hard disk failures. Keeping the needs of the users in mind, the team created AudioBox™ that offers organized, accessible and secure media collection in an easy way.

 “We’ve been fortunate to amass a large user base, which is continuing to grow rapidly,” remarked iCoreTech COO Simone Tarantino. “User feedback has been invaluable to us in taking a fresh approach and creating an even better AudioBox that expands on the most popular capabilities and while incorporating some new features that users have been very vocal about.”

The Advanced Functionalities

Pitching up alongside big players like Apple (iCloud), Google (Drive), and Amazon (Cloud), AudioBox.fm makes a bold move by offering impressive functionalities. The Service integrates with a plethora of third-party cloud storage services and offers desktop app that allows streaming directly and seamlessly from a user’s own computer — all built around a slick HTML5 Cloud Web Player.

In addition to being able to sync with a users’ Dropbox, Skydrive, Google Drive, or Box.net accounts, among others (a feature AudioBox dubs ‘Unified Library’), the service provides social integration with external services such as Last.fm, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, musiXmatch, iTunes and many others which means you can notify your friends of what you are listening to.

Like any modern music player software, AudioBox supports smart playlists as well as streaming from YouTube and SoundCloud. Furthermore Player graphics are optimized for Apple Retina devices.

The service also offers support for developing apps based on AudioBox and Unified Library. That’s an exhaustive list of advanced features for a cloud-based media platform.

Users who don’t want to use AudioBox’s cloud service are offered a great option of turning their own computer into a private media locker via AudioBox Desktop – a downloadable app which means users can link a folder on their hard drive to AudioBox and easily stream media files through the AudioBox player anywhere just as if it was in the cloud. The functionality also makes it possible to circumvent iTunes™ coding walls, for example, and access one’s iTunes library through AudioBox on any desktop or mobile device.

The service provides cloud-storage of its own on a ‘pay as you grow’-basis or through dedicated subscription tiers for advanced requirements.

iOS, Android, and BlackBerry 10 apps for the new service are in the working. So you can expect those anytime soon. Meanwhile you don’t want to miss the one of its kind service offered by this new cloud based media platform.

Photos of a new Nexus X smartphone, apparently to be Sony’s contribution to Google’s Nexus line of devices, appeared.

Two photos of the device were shown on Picasa. One photo shows the front of the phone, which features three hardware buttons, including Back and Home. Another shows its back side, which has the Google and Sony logos inscribed on the surface. The device also appears to have both front- and back-facing cameras.

The device bears a bit of resemblance to recently announced handsets like the Xperia T. The so-called Nexus X appears to run an untouched version of Android unlike its cousins.

The device could be a stand out among a potential crowd of Nexus-branded competitors with its classic design.

Though the photos are not confirmed yet, the partnership like this could end up working out nicely for both Google and Sony. Sony is a pro at designing and crafting hardware and the partnership can offer new Android updates to the fans.

By Tim Kridel for Digital Innovation Gazette

Mobile operators sometimes offer application programming interfaces (APIs) to help developers create features that make their apps stand out in the marketplace. Those benefits can rub off on the operator by helping make its version of a smartphone more attractive, which is one reason why the selection of operator APIs is steadily growing.

“The most advanced operators are extending the number of APIs they offer,” says Heavy Reading analyst-at-large Caroline Chappell. “Telefónica has identified around 50 APIs, not all of which are ready yet.”

Another reason why operators are increasingly offering APIs? They enable their network to cater to the enormous diversity of customer interests, particularly in niche categories.

“Operators are becoming more realistic about the long tail, realizing that this is going to be difficult to reach and not especially lucrative, so they are concentrating more on providing APIs for internal and trusted third-party developers and enterprise developers,” Chappell says.

Mobile App Development and APIs: What to Consider
APIs are a familiar concept for any developer. But if you’re new to the mobile operator variety, there are a few things to consider, including type, cost and where to get them. The Sprint Services Framework, for example, offers network-initiated APIs. That means the APIs use network-based resources -- as opposed to only software on the smartphone or tablet -- to provide developers with access to information such as location, messaging and device status.

“The primary benefit to the developer of this framework approach is the ability to access all of these services without the need to maintain a unique connection to each back-end network element independently,” says Brian Smith, Sprint’s product and development director. “Being network-initiated, there is no dependency on an application that resides on the device,” continues Smith. “[That permits] the developer to create an application that may, for example, locate a customer or determine their terminal status (device on, off or roaming) without the constraints, development costs and support headaches associated with creating applications that must work across a multitude of device types and operating systems.”

As their name implies, network-initiated APIs use network resources. This enables them to provide more functionality, which comes at a cost that’s often passed on to developers.

“A device-resident application that requests the location of a device using solely the GPS capability may be free,” Smith says. “However, the value-add for network-initiated APIs like location includes the ability to locate a device using network triangulation (including indoor location) and cell-sector location if GPS is turned off on the device. Each of the operators offering a network API solution will have individual requirements for cost, acceptance and on-boarding for use of their platforms.”

Some APIs enable developers to have the operator take care of billing, thus eliminating that overhead cost. Other APIs enable services that might cost the developer more to create and support on its own.

“For example, we offer an in-app payment API that lets developers charge for content or additional capabilities that are sold within their application,” says Jon Summers, senior vice president of growth platforms at AT&T, which currently offers 79 APIs across 14 categories. “These charges are billed directly to the AT&T bill. And Our AT&T Watson speech API provides developers with speech transcription and translation capabilities for their apps. Providing the right APIs will enable the developers to design apps faster and more cost-effectively.”

Is There a Catch?
One potential downside of operator-provided APIs is that developers have to modify their apps for each operator. That can limit each version’s addressable market to that operator instead of, say, all iPhones. But that situation is slowly changing.

“Three Canadian operators -- Telus, Rogers and Bell Canada – have collaborated to roll out common APIs based on the GSMA OneAPI standard,” Chappell says. “Four Polish operators have signed a letter of intent to harmonize their APIs.”

Another example is the five operators -- AT&T, Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone, Verizon Wireless and Telefónica -- that plan to offer access to one another’s APIs. “[Those] five are planning to federate their APIs, so that if one operator gets an API call that it recognizes is for a partner operator's API, it will pass the call to that operator,” Chappell says. “This means the operators can continue to use their own APIs rather than having to harmonize/standardize them.”

“Operators do acknowledge that not having common APIs is a problem,” continues Chappell. “But equally, it would be a large challenge to try and standardize them across multiple operators.”

Besides participating in the upcoming five-operator app store, AT&T is also using the GSMA to make more and more of its APIs available across other operators. “For example, our speech API includes a suite of seven different AT&T Watson-enabled speech recognition and transcription capabilities,” Summers says. “This API can be used by any application regardless of the carrier network.”

APIs: Where Do You Get Them?
The operators themselves are an obvious source of APIs. But as the industry evolves -- the aforementioned five-operator joint effort is one example -- so do the options for getting operator APIs. Sprint, for example, provides them directly and through its Solutions Enablers.

“Sprint’s Solution Enabler partners provide a valuable resource for developers with a need to access APIs, but who may not want to fully integrate directly with the Sprint platform,” Smith says. “These partners also serve as API aggregators and can provide access to APIs across multiple operators.”

Many mobile operators have sister companies in the wireline telephony or TV businesses. Those operators’ APIs can sometimes be useful for developing mobile apps that work with non-mobile services, such as a social networking app that can interact with a TV set-top box.

“We have a U-verse-enabled API,” Summers says. “This allows a developer’s app to interact with the AT&T U-verse IPTV service via the AT&T U-verse receiver. Once downloaded and launched by the customer and paired with a receiver, the app can send remote control commands, receive data on what is being watched, detect events such as channel changes, and direct the U-verse receiver to display content from specially configured websites. Integrating our various platforms and exposing them via APIs is a big focus for us.”

Regardless of where mobile app developers get operator APIs, it’s clear that they’re using them. “When we launched this initiative in 2009, we averaged about 300 million API calls on our network per month,” Summers says. “By mid-2012, we were averaging about 5 billion calls per month.”

About the Author: Tim Kridel has been covering all things tech and telecom since 1998 for a variety of publications and analyst firms. Based in Columbia, Mo., he still enjoys the childhood hobby that led to a career writing about technology: ham radio. He is a frequent contributor to Digital Innovation Gazette.

By Tim Kridel for Digital Innovation Gazette

English is the world’s most widely used language in terms of native speakers. Yet for most people, it’s not their primary or even secondary language.

What’s more, in countries with the biggest growth in app usage, such as China and Russia, English isn’t the primary language. Translation: If you want your app to have a potential market bigger than about one out of every six people on Earth, it needs to be linguistically localized for each target country or demographic group.

But unless you’re staffed with polyglots, localizing your app requires outsourcing translation to a company such as Applingua. We recently spoke with Robert Lo Bue, founder and project manager of the U.K.-based company, about what developers should consider when deciding which languages to support and why localization involves more than translation.

What should developers consider when deciding which languages to publish their apps in?

Robert Lo Bue: Deciding which languages to publish your app in is arguably the most challenging part of the whole localization process. One thing is certain: You shouldn't arbitrarily guess which languages would be best for your product.

If you're an app developer, look at your current user base and decipher where the hotspots are. Send a feeler out via Twitter or search foreign-language user forums to see if there is demand for your app.

If you have to take a leap of faith, then consider your audience. Remember, apps are just as culturally sensitive as the next thing. Universal apps such as weather reports, calculators and weight-tracking apps are pretty much accepted everywhere -- but think twice about apps that rely heavily on social networks or external services. They may not be popular, or…they may even be blocked by certain countries.

Think about the market. It's a common mistake to choose the most populated countries for your first foray into localization. These countries are often amongst the poorest and the number of smartphone devices is low. Look at a country's likelihood to buy apps versus downloading for free. Applingua's top five requested languages are French, German, Spanish, Japanese and Simplified Chinese.

Once an app developer has decided which languages to use, what are their main options for creating each version of the app? If they’re outsourcing the translations, what might they expect to pay for each version?

RLB: Unless you're blue-chip, you won't be hiring full-time translators, and even they usually hire an external translation agency. I may be putting myself out of a job here, but the first place to look to get your app translated is your users: Not only are they free, but they'll also know the app inside-out.

Unfortunately, users can get flakey, and if you have deadlines to meet it's probably best you hand your app over to a professional. Apps are slightly different from other text in that they often contain variables and have heavy size and context restrictions. There's also device-specific terminology to adhere to.

My advice is to head to an app localization agency. There are quite a few out there: my own, Applingua, but also Tethras, Wordcrafts and Lionbridge, to name a few. They usually accept your string files in all the native app formats (strings, xml, etc.) and hand them back correctly formatted. Some app localization agencies -- Applingua, for example -- test the app on device to make sure everything looks great before submitting to your app store of choice.

Besides the translation, what else do developers need to consider? For example, a word in the original language might be much longer in another language, to the point that it affects the way that the user interface looks. So what should developers expect to do once translation is complete?

RLB: Localization is usually an afterthought when it comes to app design, but if you can, try and think of it a bit earlier in the development process. The translation rule says that a translated language can often take up plus or minus 30 percent of the original English. Make sure your English strings don’t push the limits on your existing UI, and that’s a great start.

Also try and communicate the style of your app to your translators. It’s easy to group apps all as one technology category, but we all know that every app is different. Get a clear picture in your own mind what your app is about and who it’s targeting. Many languages have various forms of politeness built-in and the translators will need to know which is most appropriate for your app. If possible, give the translators a demo of your app, or send them a promo code if it’s available on an app store already.

Once translation is complete, double check your app in each language. Make sure words fit and ensure that everything’s been translated (some app translation agencies can do this for you). Finally, why not send a beta build to some more loyal members of your existing user base, before making it public?

Perhaps the most important thing I like to stress is that language is subjective. There’s rarely an absolute right and wrong. If you get user feedback, be confident about bundling language updates with your bug fix or maintenance releases.

How do Android, iOS and the other major smartphone operating systems compare in terms of their abilities (e.g., SDKs) to create different language versions of an app?

RLB: Nowadays, creating localized versions of your app is as easy as clicking a button. There’s really not that much more involved.

Both Eclipse (Android dev) and Xcode (iOS dev) offer localization support directly within the UI. The resultant files are usually just text files wrapped in XML or a string file, which any good translator will be able to navigate. There’s really no excuse not to give it a go!

About the Author: Tim Kridel has been covering all things tech and telecom since 1998 for a variety of publications and analyst firms. Based in Columbia, Mo., he still enjoys the childhood hobby that led to a career writing about technology: ham radio. He is a frequent contributor to Digital Innovation Gazette.

Wallraf Square in Cologne, Germany saw an impromptu flash mob conducted by the WDR Symphony Orchestra. The performance starts with just a conductor and a trumpet player, who are slowly joined by an entire orchestra playing the iconic theme song of Star Wars.

The onlookers are delighted and a bit confused. :)

Comic Sans- It’s the hotmail of fonts. Since 1999, there has been a majority agreement to “Ban Comic Sans.” The masses especially the corporate world hates it for its migration from comic books to the business world. The font dislike also hit a fever pitch this summer when CERN dared to use the font to announce the discovery of the Higgs Boson particle.

Just for fun or the last time probably, check out this gallery of some of the world’s best-known logos changed in the font. Designer Oleg Tarasov has to be credited (blamed) for these creations. You can see more of his Comic Sans logo work here.

For now take a look at few below!