Running more of a marathon than a dash, Sprint Nextel Corp. has caught its top customer satisfaction rival in a national survey of wireless users.
The Overland Park-based wireless carrier overcame its also-ran status from three years ago to stand alongside Verizon Wireless. They tied for top score, 72 out of 100, in Tuesday’s release of the American Customer Satisfaction Index.
Sprint’s strong showing marks a shift in the company’s attention to its customers’ experience. Three years ago, the focus was on fixing problems with billing, dropped calls and other issues that had pushed Sprint’s ratings below its competitors. wholesale electronics suppliers
Now it’s working to improve on its widely recognized service quality.
“As we’ve gone literally from worst to first in many of these competitive benchmarks … it’s going to be more difficult because our performance has gotten so good,” said Bob Johnson, chief service officer.
Sprint’s improved score was only two points ahead of last year.
The company had posted enormous gains in the 2009 and 2010 surveys, years in which its score jumped more than 10 points each year from a rock-bottom 56 in 2008.
Sprint’s improvements have boosted its rankings in other customer-focused surveys. wholesale Android Tablets
In February, the company won a J.D. Power 2011 Customer Service Champion award in a broader survey of customer satisfaction. An April survey by Vocalabs put Sprint in a virtual tie with T-Mobile and AT&T Inc. in their handling of customer care calls.
In the recent ACSI survey, Sprint was the only major carrier to post an increase from last year, gaining two points while Verizon lost one.
T-Mobile USA fell three points to 70 and AT&T Inc. again finished lowest among the major four, falling three points to 66.
ACSI LLC, which surveyed 8,000 households during the first quarter, reported that T-Mobile’s score was within the three-point margin of error from the two leaders.
AT&T’s score was its worst since 2006, the year before it launched the wildly popular iPhone, ACSI said.
Verizon now also offers the iPhone and rumors are that Sprint may get it soon, too. A Sprint spokeswoman declined to comment on those rumors.
AT&T may find a silver lining in its slipping customer service rankings. Better customer service is one of the reasons it wants to acquire T-Mobile in a controversial $39 billion deal.
AT&T has said the merger would help it solve service problems related to high volumes of data traffic over its iPhones, tablet computers and other devices.
The company also said that buying T-Mobile would instantly provide the additional wireless capacity, increased cell tower density and broader network infrastructure to improve call quality and other service improvements.
ACSI read the survey results differently.
“It is common to find a reduction in customer satisfaction after mergers, but it is rare for customer satisfaction to drop ahead of a merger,” ACSI founder Claes Fornell said in the announcement of scores. “Assuming the deal is approved, it remains to be seen if a much larger AT&T can regain the strength of its customer relationships.”
Sprint has challenged the merger as anti-competitive, anti-innovation and bad for consumers.
Customers looking for still greater satisfaction might consider all their options.
ACSI gave its best score in the wireless category, a 77, to “All others.”
This is a compilation score for several smaller carriers that includes TracFone and U.S. Cellular. The surveyors said that they don’t have enough data to provide individual scores for these companies.
Sprint CEO Dan Hesse made “improved customer experience” one of the company’s three goals when he became top officer in December 2007. At the company’s shareholders meeting last week, he noted significant gains as part of an overall turnaround plan.
“Everybody in the company understands that they have a role in improving the customer experience because Dan (Hesse) as the CEO has set that as the priority,” Johnson said.
At the shareholders meeting, Hesse had said better customer care has bolstered gains in the other two priorities he set.
It has rebuilt Sprint’s badly damaged brand, which had been a victim of the 2005 merger with Nextel Partners. Sprint’s improved brand, in turn, has begun to attract new customers, nearly 3 million in six months. And the added customers have helped Sprint generate the cash it needs to operate, pay its debts and invest in its network.
Wednesday 18 May 2011
Tuesday 17 May 2011
HP's Pavilion Desktop PCs Enter a Mobility-Centric World
Nonetheless, businesses and some consumers continue to purchase desktops. You can pack a lot of processing power into a sizable tower, which makes them useful for both cutting-edge games and industries that require a lot of modeling and rendering. That puts the onus on manufacturers to keep making them—while taking the latest trends into account.wholesale electronics suppliers
Enter Hewlett-Packard, whose new line of HP Pavilion desktop PCs seeks to thread the needle between giving workers and consumers the under-the-hood power they expect from a desktop, along with the design cues and slimmer sizing more recently associated with the laptops and tablets that have come to dominate the market in recent quarters.
These desktops feature glossy panels over a matte metallic base, creating a look totally different from the beige box of yesteryear. Those panels also slide up to disguise the various ports and drives. As with HP’s new line of laptops, the company seems determined to introduce a design language that connotes sleek—its bid to compete not only with Dell and Lenovo, but also Apple.
HP’s offerings include the HP Pavilion p7 series PCs, with massive hard-drive space and built-in support for multichannel surround sound. There’s also the HP HPE h8 series PCs, offered with up to three internal hard drives, AMD Phenom or Intel Core i7 processors, high-end Nvidia or ATI graphics, and support for multiple displays.wholesale Android Tablets
For those who want their desktop tower a bit more on the portable side, there’s also the HP Pavilion Slimline s5 series PCs, which HP claims are half the size of conventional PC towers. The devices in this line certainly look compact, the sort of tower suited for a particularly cramped office or dorm room. As with seemingly all of the higher-end devices in its various hardware lines, HP is offering Beats Audio for select desktop models, along with HP LinkUp.
A company as large as HP can roadmap products that speak to both the mobility and power sides of the equation. That being said, the manufacturer is also taking additional steps to enter the cloud. In March, newly minted CEO Leo Apotheker suggested that his company was on the verge of introducing a new PAAS (platform as a service) business, which would include a new applications store. HP is also planning to import webOS, its mobile operating system acquired last year along with Palm, into a variety of devices, ranging from tablets to PCs.
“The webOS is an unbelievably attractive piece of technology in that it can interconnect seamlessly a number of various devices,” Apotheker told a gathering of analysts and media March 14. “It is simply an outstanding Web operating system.”
But HP is offering no definitive timeline for when webOS will find its way into more earthbound products like its newest towers.
Enter Hewlett-Packard, whose new line of HP Pavilion desktop PCs seeks to thread the needle between giving workers and consumers the under-the-hood power they expect from a desktop, along with the design cues and slimmer sizing more recently associated with the laptops and tablets that have come to dominate the market in recent quarters.
These desktops feature glossy panels over a matte metallic base, creating a look totally different from the beige box of yesteryear. Those panels also slide up to disguise the various ports and drives. As with HP’s new line of laptops, the company seems determined to introduce a design language that connotes sleek—its bid to compete not only with Dell and Lenovo, but also Apple.
HP’s offerings include the HP Pavilion p7 series PCs, with massive hard-drive space and built-in support for multichannel surround sound. There’s also the HP HPE h8 series PCs, offered with up to three internal hard drives, AMD Phenom or Intel Core i7 processors, high-end Nvidia or ATI graphics, and support for multiple displays.wholesale Android Tablets
For those who want their desktop tower a bit more on the portable side, there’s also the HP Pavilion Slimline s5 series PCs, which HP claims are half the size of conventional PC towers. The devices in this line certainly look compact, the sort of tower suited for a particularly cramped office or dorm room. As with seemingly all of the higher-end devices in its various hardware lines, HP is offering Beats Audio for select desktop models, along with HP LinkUp.
A company as large as HP can roadmap products that speak to both the mobility and power sides of the equation. That being said, the manufacturer is also taking additional steps to enter the cloud. In March, newly minted CEO Leo Apotheker suggested that his company was on the verge of introducing a new PAAS (platform as a service) business, which would include a new applications store. HP is also planning to import webOS, its mobile operating system acquired last year along with Palm, into a variety of devices, ranging from tablets to PCs.
“The webOS is an unbelievably attractive piece of technology in that it can interconnect seamlessly a number of various devices,” Apotheker told a gathering of analysts and media March 14. “It is simply an outstanding Web operating system.”
But HP is offering no definitive timeline for when webOS will find its way into more earthbound products like its newest towers.
Monday 16 May 2011
Sony Hits Restart on Games Network
Sony Corp. restored access to its videogame networks for many users. Now the company needs to fix its reputation.
The Japanese electronics company said Saturday that it began reopening its PlayStation Network and Sony Online Entertainment services in the Americas, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the Mideast. Service to Japan and elsewhere in Asia will take longer to restore.wholesale electronics suppliers
Sony's progress was a relief to customers eager to virtually punch, stab and kick one another online in popular new games such as Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.'s Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.'s "Mortal Kombat."
But branding experts agreed that Sony's image has taken a blow.
"Sony not only has to take technological steps to fix its security, but it also has to communicate what it has done," said Marc Rudov, a branding consultant based in Silicon Valley. "They need to over-secure the network and over-communicate what they've done." wholesale Android Tablets
The Japanese electronics company said Saturday that it began reopening its PlayStation Network and Sony Online Entertainment services in the Americas, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and the Mideast. Service to Japan and elsewhere in Asia will take longer to restore.wholesale electronics suppliers
Sony's progress was a relief to customers eager to virtually punch, stab and kick one another online in popular new games such as Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.'s Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.'s "Mortal Kombat."
But branding experts agreed that Sony's image has taken a blow.
"Sony not only has to take technological steps to fix its security, but it also has to communicate what it has done," said Marc Rudov, a branding consultant based in Silicon Valley. "They need to over-secure the network and over-communicate what they've done." wholesale Android Tablets
Saturday 14 May 2011
Netflix Android App Highlights Need for Google's Antifrag Group
Netflix May 12 launched its Netflix application for Android smartphones, allowing users to watch content instantly via WiFi or 3G connection.
The application will let users watching a movie on, say, the train ride home, continue watching it from their Web-connected TV or computer when they get home. Users may also browse content and manage their instant queue right from their phones. wholesale electronics suppliers
However, there is a big, glaring caveat: the Netflix Android application is limited to five handsets. Those include the HTC Incredible with Android 2.2, HTC Nexus One with Android 2.2 and 2.3, the HTC Evo 4G with Android 2.2, the HTC G2 with Android 2.2 and the Samsung Nexus S with Android 2.3.
Considering that there are now more than 300 Android devices on the market, and that most of them are smartphones, that is an incredibly limited launch.
According to Netflix Product Manager Roma De, Android's rapid adoption and evolution made it challenging to build a streaming video application at all.
There just isn't a DRM (digital rights management) standard for secure, streaming playback Netflix can adhere to for rolling its app out to every Android phone.
"In the absence of standardization, we have to test each individual handset and launch only on those that can support playback," De explained. "We are aggressively qualifying phones and look forward to expanding the list of phones on which the Netflix app will be supported." wholesale Android Tablets
De said he expected many of the technical challenges will be resolved in the coming months so that Netflix may bring its streaming app on a "large majority of Android phones."
Compared to the current small minority of Android phone owners, that's a relief, but note that De hasn't guaranteed the app will work across all Android phones.
Ironically, the fragment-friendly Netflix Android app comes just two days after Google Android Vice President of Product Management unveiled a group geared to curb such fragmentation.
The as-yet-unnamed group, which includes top U.S. carriers Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and phone makers Motorola, Samsung and HTC, will convene to ensure that Android smartphones they pump out will be eligible for software updates 18 months into the future, provided the hardware allows for it.
The goal is to head off the gross inconsistency associated with Android build upgrades. Samsung's Galaxy S handsets have been the most abused here, with updates to the Android 2.2 "Froyo" taking months to roll out.
Case in point: Froyo has been out for almost 11 months now and Verizon's Samsung Fascinate is still running Android 2.1.
Ideally, the Google-led coalition will curb this fragmentation, but industry analyst Jack Gold said he has to see it to believe it.
"With all the various devices, manufacturers and carriers, it's going to be hard to enforce this," Gold told eWEEK. "It would be beneficial to users, but I don’t think it will happen anytime soon, at least not until Google decides to stipulate exactly what a device has to have to be upwards compatible and/or upgradeable, which it is unlikely to do given the open nature of Android."
Meanwhile, owners of the five Android phone types Netflix currently supports can head to the Android Market and download the free Netflix app to enjoy movies streamed on their phones this weekend.
The application will let users watching a movie on, say, the train ride home, continue watching it from their Web-connected TV or computer when they get home. Users may also browse content and manage their instant queue right from their phones. wholesale electronics suppliers
However, there is a big, glaring caveat: the Netflix Android application is limited to five handsets. Those include the HTC Incredible with Android 2.2, HTC Nexus One with Android 2.2 and 2.3, the HTC Evo 4G with Android 2.2, the HTC G2 with Android 2.2 and the Samsung Nexus S with Android 2.3.
Considering that there are now more than 300 Android devices on the market, and that most of them are smartphones, that is an incredibly limited launch.
According to Netflix Product Manager Roma De, Android's rapid adoption and evolution made it challenging to build a streaming video application at all.
There just isn't a DRM (digital rights management) standard for secure, streaming playback Netflix can adhere to for rolling its app out to every Android phone.
"In the absence of standardization, we have to test each individual handset and launch only on those that can support playback," De explained. "We are aggressively qualifying phones and look forward to expanding the list of phones on which the Netflix app will be supported." wholesale Android Tablets
De said he expected many of the technical challenges will be resolved in the coming months so that Netflix may bring its streaming app on a "large majority of Android phones."
Compared to the current small minority of Android phone owners, that's a relief, but note that De hasn't guaranteed the app will work across all Android phones.
Ironically, the fragment-friendly Netflix Android app comes just two days after Google Android Vice President of Product Management unveiled a group geared to curb such fragmentation.
The as-yet-unnamed group, which includes top U.S. carriers Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and phone makers Motorola, Samsung and HTC, will convene to ensure that Android smartphones they pump out will be eligible for software updates 18 months into the future, provided the hardware allows for it.
The goal is to head off the gross inconsistency associated with Android build upgrades. Samsung's Galaxy S handsets have been the most abused here, with updates to the Android 2.2 "Froyo" taking months to roll out.
Case in point: Froyo has been out for almost 11 months now and Verizon's Samsung Fascinate is still running Android 2.1.
Ideally, the Google-led coalition will curb this fragmentation, but industry analyst Jack Gold said he has to see it to believe it.
"With all the various devices, manufacturers and carriers, it's going to be hard to enforce this," Gold told eWEEK. "It would be beneficial to users, but I don’t think it will happen anytime soon, at least not until Google decides to stipulate exactly what a device has to have to be upwards compatible and/or upgradeable, which it is unlikely to do given the open nature of Android."
Meanwhile, owners of the five Android phone types Netflix currently supports can head to the Android Market and download the free Netflix app to enjoy movies streamed on their phones this weekend.
Tuesday 10 May 2011
Flammable Methane in Drinking Water Near Fracking Wells, Study Finds
For the first time, a scientific study has linked natural gas drilling and hydraulic fracturing with a pattern of drinking water contamination so severe that some faucets can be lit on fire.
The peer-reviewed study, published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, stands to shape the contentious debate over whether drilling is safe and begins to fill an information gap that has made it difficult for lawmakers and the public to understand the risks.wholesale electronics suppliers
The research was conducted by four scientists at Duke University. They found that levels of flammable methane gas in drinking water wells increased to dangerous levels when those water supplies were close to natural gas wells. They also found that the type of gas detected at high levels in the water was the same type of gas that energy companies were extracting from thousands of feet underground, strongly implying that the gas may be seeping underground through natural or manmade faults and fractures, or coming from cracks in the well structure itself.
"Our results show evidence for methane contamination of shallow drinking water systems in at least three areas of the region and suggest important environmental risks accompanying shale gas exploration worldwide," the article states.
The group tested 68 drinking water wells in the Marcellus and Utica shale drilling areas in northeastern Pennsylvania and southern New York State. Sixty of those wells were tested for dissolved gas. While most of the wells had some methane, the water samples taken closest to the gas wells had on average 17 times the levels detected in wells further from active drilling. The group defined an active drilling area as within one kilometer, or about six tenths of a mile, from a gas well. wholesale Android Tablets
The average concentration of the methane detected in the water wells near drilling sites fell squarely within a range that the U.S. Department of Interior says is dangerous and requires urgent "hazard mitigation" action, according to the study.
The researchers did not find evidence that the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing had contaminated any of the wells they tested, allaying for the time being some of the greatest fears among environmentalists and drilling opponents.
But they were alarmed by what they described as a clear correlation between drilling activity and the seepage of gas contaminants underground, a danger in itself and evidence that pathways do exist for contaminants to migrate deep within the earth.
"We certainly didn't expect to see such a strong relationship between the concentration of methane in water and the nearest gas wells. That was a real surprise," said Robert Jackson, a biology professor at Duke and one of the report's authors.
Methane contamination of drinking water wells has been a common complaint among people living in gas drilling areas across the country. A 2009 investigation by ProPublica revealed that methane contamination from drilling was widespread, including in Colorado, Ohio and Pennsylvania. In several cases, homes blew up after gas seeped into their basements or water supplies. In Pennsylvania a 2004 accident killed three people, including a baby.
In Dimock, Pa., where part of the Duke study was performed, some residents' water wells exploded or their water could be lit on fire. In at least a dozen cases in Colorado, methane had infiltrated drinking water supplies that residents said were clean until hydraulic fracturing was performed nearby.
The drilling industry and some state regulators described some of these cases as "anecdotal" and said they were either unconnected to drilling activity or were an isolated problem. But the consistency of the Duke findings raises questions about how unusual and widespread such cases of methane contamination may be.
The peer-reviewed study, published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, stands to shape the contentious debate over whether drilling is safe and begins to fill an information gap that has made it difficult for lawmakers and the public to understand the risks.wholesale electronics suppliers
The research was conducted by four scientists at Duke University. They found that levels of flammable methane gas in drinking water wells increased to dangerous levels when those water supplies were close to natural gas wells. They also found that the type of gas detected at high levels in the water was the same type of gas that energy companies were extracting from thousands of feet underground, strongly implying that the gas may be seeping underground through natural or manmade faults and fractures, or coming from cracks in the well structure itself.
"Our results show evidence for methane contamination of shallow drinking water systems in at least three areas of the region and suggest important environmental risks accompanying shale gas exploration worldwide," the article states.
The group tested 68 drinking water wells in the Marcellus and Utica shale drilling areas in northeastern Pennsylvania and southern New York State. Sixty of those wells were tested for dissolved gas. While most of the wells had some methane, the water samples taken closest to the gas wells had on average 17 times the levels detected in wells further from active drilling. The group defined an active drilling area as within one kilometer, or about six tenths of a mile, from a gas well. wholesale Android Tablets
The average concentration of the methane detected in the water wells near drilling sites fell squarely within a range that the U.S. Department of Interior says is dangerous and requires urgent "hazard mitigation" action, according to the study.
The researchers did not find evidence that the chemicals used in hydraulic fracturing had contaminated any of the wells they tested, allaying for the time being some of the greatest fears among environmentalists and drilling opponents.
But they were alarmed by what they described as a clear correlation between drilling activity and the seepage of gas contaminants underground, a danger in itself and evidence that pathways do exist for contaminants to migrate deep within the earth.
"We certainly didn't expect to see such a strong relationship between the concentration of methane in water and the nearest gas wells. That was a real surprise," said Robert Jackson, a biology professor at Duke and one of the report's authors.
Methane contamination of drinking water wells has been a common complaint among people living in gas drilling areas across the country. A 2009 investigation by ProPublica revealed that methane contamination from drilling was widespread, including in Colorado, Ohio and Pennsylvania. In several cases, homes blew up after gas seeped into their basements or water supplies. In Pennsylvania a 2004 accident killed three people, including a baby.
In Dimock, Pa., where part of the Duke study was performed, some residents' water wells exploded or their water could be lit on fire. In at least a dozen cases in Colorado, methane had infiltrated drinking water supplies that residents said were clean until hydraulic fracturing was performed nearby.
The drilling industry and some state regulators described some of these cases as "anecdotal" and said they were either unconnected to drilling activity or were an isolated problem. But the consistency of the Duke findings raises questions about how unusual and widespread such cases of methane contamination may be.
Monday 9 May 2011
Best options for tablet birding
Spreadsheets and word processors persuaded people to buy early PCs. Messaging and mobile browsers did the same thing for smartphones.
If you haven't bought an iPad or tablet computing device yet, maybe it's because you're not yet hooked on "Angry Birds." wholesale electronics suppliers
The addictive slingshot game is the killer app for these touch-screen gadgets filling the gap between smartphones and portable computers.
People buy tablets thinking they'll use them instead of computers, but most don't. They end up playing "Angry Birds." wholesale Android Tablets
Last week a Nielsen survey said most tablet owners are using their PCs as much or more than they did before buying their tablet. Earlier, the firm said games are the most downloaded mobile application, and the best-selling app, is "Angry Birds."
The game, made by a small Finnish company called Rovio, has been downloaded more than 140 million times, and at least 40 million people per month are playing. They're collectively spending more than 200 million minutes per day tapping and flinging birds across the screen, trying to knock down a series of structures built by obnoxious pigs.
"Angry Birds" was originally designed for the iPhone in 2009, but it's best on a tablet, where you can see more of it and have more room to control the aiming.
"It's certainly the most dominant game on tablets. There's nothing close to it, I believe," said Rich Wong at Accel Partners, a Silicon Valley venture firm that backed Facebook and invested in Rovio in March.
It makes you wonder if Microsoft hooked up with the right Finnish company to resuscitate its mobile business. Maybe it thought Nokia was behind the birds.
After handling more tablets than an Egyptian librarian, I've come up with a shopping guide, for those willing to spend $250 to $800 for the best "Angry Birds" experience.
Motorola Xoom,
$599-$800
"Angry Birds" is prominently featured on the Xoom packaging, and the game works well on the device.
The Xoom's 10-inch screen is a good size for displaying both the launch area and target structure, even on upper levels with passages, outbuildings and stashed explosives on the far right side of the screen.
Although it's the first Android tablet with a dual-core processor, there wasn't a noticeable difference in loading. Nor did it reduce the wait time between levels.
On a bus, the Xoom's considerable heft steadies the device enough to play on bumpy roads.
The Xoom did cause one embarrassing birds incident.
During a discreet session Friday, before my deadline, the app abruptly froze. When I restarted it, it launched with the mute button off. There was no warning of this changed setting, and I was busted by the loud theme music.
Frantically tapping the screen and pressing the power button didn't stop the telltale flute. It took forever to power off, and paused to ask "are you sure?" before it stopped.
Otherwise, the Xoom scored well in the "quick exit" test. I could close the game and pretend to be working with a single click.
Barnes & Noble Nook
Color, $249
After updating the Nook's operating system, you can download the original version of "Angry Birds."
The Nook market offers only the original "Angry Birds," for $2.99. Later versions and the free, ad-supported ones aren't available yet.
The Nook is the most economical option for tablet birding and doubles as a browser and electronic book with a 7-inch touch screen.
It also fits in a large pocket and weighs just less than a pound. However, this portability made it difficult to hold the device steady on the bus, where I experienced a number of misfires and errant shots.
Resolution on the Nook didn't seem as crisp as on higher-end tablets. I could see jagged edges on the blades of grass.
The Nook fared the worst in the "quick exit" test, requiring six clicks to exit in the middle of a game.
Apple iPad 2, $499-$829.
The iPad's big, bright screen is terrific for "Angry Birds" and provides plenty of room to aim.
Action is crisp and Rovio seems to put extra sparkle into the iPad version, highlighting edges of structures, for instance.
Both free and paid versions are available from iTunes, where the latest version of the game is the best-selling paid app. Two earlier versions are in the top 10.
There are a few niggles, though. The iPad version takes it upon itself to adjust the horizontal scroll mid-game, which gets annoying.
Also, every time you start a game, the iPad suggests creating or signing in to an account with Apple's "Game Center" service. There isn't an obvious way to disable this nagware, so you have to hit "cancel" every time. Then you get a message saying that "Game Center" is disabled, and you have to hit "OK" to start playing. This reminds me of Windows Vista.
It takes one click on the iPad to exit a game, return to the home screen and appear to be working.
BlackBerry PlayBook,
$500 to $700
The PlayBook is a pocketable, 7-inch touch-screen device that's widely available. But "Angry Birds" is not yet available on the BlackBerry market. An emulator that will run Andoid apps is being developed.
T-Mobile G-Slate, $530.
The G-Slate has an unusual 9-inch widescreen display format that's particularly well suited for "Angry Birds."
However, the screen also partly cuts off the information displayed on the Android Market, including the "more" button listing additional version of "Angry Birds" available from the store.
Like the Xoom, the G-Slate is based on Google's new Android 3.0 software.
Currently, only free versions of "Angry Birds" are available for Android but paid versions are expected later this year.
Loading the game via T-Mobile's 4G network was significantly faster than it was on the Xoom over Verizon Wireless' 3G network, but the Xoom should be upgradeable to 4G before new "Birds" are released.
It takes a single click to exit a game and return to the home screen of the G-Slate.
Dell Streak 7, $200-$450.
The Streak has a 7-inch screen that's just a hair smaller than the Nook, but overall the device is smaller and fits easier in a pocket for portable play.
It's more like a computer than a Nook, and both its launch area and target can be displayed at a reasonable size. That makes the game more enjoyable than on a smartphone with a 3-inch or 4-inch screen.
However, the Streak resolution isn't as crisp as the larger tablets and the device would re-size the game between levels, requiring a tedious extra pinch to get the game properly aligned in the screen.
The re-sizing isn't a game-breaker, but these little design decisions lead to wasted time that adds up fast.
Seriously, how do they expect us to get any work done with these things?
If you haven't bought an iPad or tablet computing device yet, maybe it's because you're not yet hooked on "Angry Birds." wholesale electronics suppliers
The addictive slingshot game is the killer app for these touch-screen gadgets filling the gap between smartphones and portable computers.
People buy tablets thinking they'll use them instead of computers, but most don't. They end up playing "Angry Birds." wholesale Android Tablets
Last week a Nielsen survey said most tablet owners are using their PCs as much or more than they did before buying their tablet. Earlier, the firm said games are the most downloaded mobile application, and the best-selling app, is "Angry Birds."
The game, made by a small Finnish company called Rovio, has been downloaded more than 140 million times, and at least 40 million people per month are playing. They're collectively spending more than 200 million minutes per day tapping and flinging birds across the screen, trying to knock down a series of structures built by obnoxious pigs.
"Angry Birds" was originally designed for the iPhone in 2009, but it's best on a tablet, where you can see more of it and have more room to control the aiming.
"It's certainly the most dominant game on tablets. There's nothing close to it, I believe," said Rich Wong at Accel Partners, a Silicon Valley venture firm that backed Facebook and invested in Rovio in March.
It makes you wonder if Microsoft hooked up with the right Finnish company to resuscitate its mobile business. Maybe it thought Nokia was behind the birds.
After handling more tablets than an Egyptian librarian, I've come up with a shopping guide, for those willing to spend $250 to $800 for the best "Angry Birds" experience.
Motorola Xoom,
$599-$800
"Angry Birds" is prominently featured on the Xoom packaging, and the game works well on the device.
The Xoom's 10-inch screen is a good size for displaying both the launch area and target structure, even on upper levels with passages, outbuildings and stashed explosives on the far right side of the screen.
Although it's the first Android tablet with a dual-core processor, there wasn't a noticeable difference in loading. Nor did it reduce the wait time between levels.
On a bus, the Xoom's considerable heft steadies the device enough to play on bumpy roads.
The Xoom did cause one embarrassing birds incident.
During a discreet session Friday, before my deadline, the app abruptly froze. When I restarted it, it launched with the mute button off. There was no warning of this changed setting, and I was busted by the loud theme music.
Frantically tapping the screen and pressing the power button didn't stop the telltale flute. It took forever to power off, and paused to ask "are you sure?" before it stopped.
Otherwise, the Xoom scored well in the "quick exit" test. I could close the game and pretend to be working with a single click.
Barnes & Noble Nook
Color, $249
After updating the Nook's operating system, you can download the original version of "Angry Birds."
The Nook market offers only the original "Angry Birds," for $2.99. Later versions and the free, ad-supported ones aren't available yet.
The Nook is the most economical option for tablet birding and doubles as a browser and electronic book with a 7-inch touch screen.
It also fits in a large pocket and weighs just less than a pound. However, this portability made it difficult to hold the device steady on the bus, where I experienced a number of misfires and errant shots.
Resolution on the Nook didn't seem as crisp as on higher-end tablets. I could see jagged edges on the blades of grass.
The Nook fared the worst in the "quick exit" test, requiring six clicks to exit in the middle of a game.
Apple iPad 2, $499-$829.
The iPad's big, bright screen is terrific for "Angry Birds" and provides plenty of room to aim.
Action is crisp and Rovio seems to put extra sparkle into the iPad version, highlighting edges of structures, for instance.
Both free and paid versions are available from iTunes, where the latest version of the game is the best-selling paid app. Two earlier versions are in the top 10.
There are a few niggles, though. The iPad version takes it upon itself to adjust the horizontal scroll mid-game, which gets annoying.
Also, every time you start a game, the iPad suggests creating or signing in to an account with Apple's "Game Center" service. There isn't an obvious way to disable this nagware, so you have to hit "cancel" every time. Then you get a message saying that "Game Center" is disabled, and you have to hit "OK" to start playing. This reminds me of Windows Vista.
It takes one click on the iPad to exit a game, return to the home screen and appear to be working.
BlackBerry PlayBook,
$500 to $700
The PlayBook is a pocketable, 7-inch touch-screen device that's widely available. But "Angry Birds" is not yet available on the BlackBerry market. An emulator that will run Andoid apps is being developed.
T-Mobile G-Slate, $530.
The G-Slate has an unusual 9-inch widescreen display format that's particularly well suited for "Angry Birds."
However, the screen also partly cuts off the information displayed on the Android Market, including the "more" button listing additional version of "Angry Birds" available from the store.
Like the Xoom, the G-Slate is based on Google's new Android 3.0 software.
Currently, only free versions of "Angry Birds" are available for Android but paid versions are expected later this year.
Loading the game via T-Mobile's 4G network was significantly faster than it was on the Xoom over Verizon Wireless' 3G network, but the Xoom should be upgradeable to 4G before new "Birds" are released.
It takes a single click to exit a game and return to the home screen of the G-Slate.
Dell Streak 7, $200-$450.
The Streak has a 7-inch screen that's just a hair smaller than the Nook, but overall the device is smaller and fits easier in a pocket for portable play.
It's more like a computer than a Nook, and both its launch area and target can be displayed at a reasonable size. That makes the game more enjoyable than on a smartphone with a 3-inch or 4-inch screen.
However, the Streak resolution isn't as crisp as the larger tablets and the device would re-size the game between levels, requiring a tedious extra pinch to get the game properly aligned in the screen.
The re-sizing isn't a game-breaker, but these little design decisions lead to wasted time that adds up fast.
Seriously, how do they expect us to get any work done with these things?
Saturday 7 May 2011
IBM celebrates tech behind first U.S. manned space flight
As NASA marks the 50th anniversary of the first U.S. manned space flight, IBM is celebrating the mathematicians and engineers who helped make it happen.
While people around the world held their breath and watched astronaut Alan Shepard blast off on May 5, 1961, workers at IBM sat on the edge of their seats watching their technology go to work. IBM not only had been in charge of installing and maintaining three "large-scale" computers for the mission, it also was also responsible for developing the technology that enabled NASA to track the spacecraft and provide real-time information to Mission Control.wholesale electronics suppliers
"Alan Shepard was the bravest of the brave, and his flight ushered in America's space age," said Arthur Cohen, the mathematician who led IBM's Project Mercury Team. "The IBM team had the honor of applying computing power and mathematics to support the project.... We experienced an unforgettable sense of excitement when Alan Shepard safely accomplished his mission. I will forever remember May 5, 1961, and the incredible team of NASA and IBM men and women I had the opportunity to work with." wholesale Android Tablets
Cohen, in an email to Computerworld noted that IBM's work involved an early manifestation of real-time and predictive analytics. What IBM technicians put together for NASA helped to usher in the days of real-time communication.
According to IBM, its team of more than 75 employees working on the Mercury Project from 1959 to 1963 developed a "real-time channel" called the IBM 7281, which could receive up to 1,000 bits of data per second.
They also created advanced software programs and mathematics models to analyze incoming data and provide mission-critical information to NASA flight controllers throughout the space flight.
"The real-time aspect -- receiving asynchronous data -- was new and breakthrough," said Cohen. "The 7281 real-time channel and the data that was streaming in had to be received and evaluated in real time to be able to use information to drive displays at [Cape Canaveral]. That was brand new. It had never been done before. Of course, real time then was 1,000 bits of data per second. Today, it's, of course, trillions of bits per second."
Cohen noted the monitor that took in all the real-time information was particularly challenging to develop, but its creation also had long-term benefits on the advancement of computing.
"The monitor accepted information real-time and decided which software needed to be addressed to proceed so Mission Control would get the information it required," he added.
He said that the other technology that had a big impact on the future of computing was the mathematics IBM developed specifically for the mission. Cohen said IBM's team had to create the math needed to determine the spacecraft's trajectory, correct the trajectory, and track the capsule into re-entry or abort.
To provide real-time information to Mission Control, the IBM team built and ran three large-scale computers that funneled in all flight information. There were two 7090 transistorized computers installed at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and a 709 computer at the Bermuda Control Center, which acted as a backup to the project's Mission Control facility at Cape Canaveral.
Cohen remembers the entire project as an incredible amount of painstaking work.
"It was a tremendous amount of work," he said. "We sometimes worked 36 hours straight or more. As we got closer to launch, we were waiting for liftoff to occur and we couldn't leave the computing centers, so sometimes we had to sleep there with the computers.... There was a lot of suspense involved as we anticipated a man going on top of a rocket. We knew the computer systems would work, but we were in suspense of the first U.S. man going to space."
While people around the world held their breath and watched astronaut Alan Shepard blast off on May 5, 1961, workers at IBM sat on the edge of their seats watching their technology go to work. IBM not only had been in charge of installing and maintaining three "large-scale" computers for the mission, it also was also responsible for developing the technology that enabled NASA to track the spacecraft and provide real-time information to Mission Control.wholesale electronics suppliers
"Alan Shepard was the bravest of the brave, and his flight ushered in America's space age," said Arthur Cohen, the mathematician who led IBM's Project Mercury Team. "The IBM team had the honor of applying computing power and mathematics to support the project.... We experienced an unforgettable sense of excitement when Alan Shepard safely accomplished his mission. I will forever remember May 5, 1961, and the incredible team of NASA and IBM men and women I had the opportunity to work with." wholesale Android Tablets
Cohen, in an email to Computerworld noted that IBM's work involved an early manifestation of real-time and predictive analytics. What IBM technicians put together for NASA helped to usher in the days of real-time communication.
According to IBM, its team of more than 75 employees working on the Mercury Project from 1959 to 1963 developed a "real-time channel" called the IBM 7281, which could receive up to 1,000 bits of data per second.
They also created advanced software programs and mathematics models to analyze incoming data and provide mission-critical information to NASA flight controllers throughout the space flight.
"The real-time aspect -- receiving asynchronous data -- was new and breakthrough," said Cohen. "The 7281 real-time channel and the data that was streaming in had to be received and evaluated in real time to be able to use information to drive displays at [Cape Canaveral]. That was brand new. It had never been done before. Of course, real time then was 1,000 bits of data per second. Today, it's, of course, trillions of bits per second."
Cohen noted the monitor that took in all the real-time information was particularly challenging to develop, but its creation also had long-term benefits on the advancement of computing.
"The monitor accepted information real-time and decided which software needed to be addressed to proceed so Mission Control would get the information it required," he added.
He said that the other technology that had a big impact on the future of computing was the mathematics IBM developed specifically for the mission. Cohen said IBM's team had to create the math needed to determine the spacecraft's trajectory, correct the trajectory, and track the capsule into re-entry or abort.
To provide real-time information to Mission Control, the IBM team built and ran three large-scale computers that funneled in all flight information. There were two 7090 transistorized computers installed at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and a 709 computer at the Bermuda Control Center, which acted as a backup to the project's Mission Control facility at Cape Canaveral.
Cohen remembers the entire project as an incredible amount of painstaking work.
"It was a tremendous amount of work," he said. "We sometimes worked 36 hours straight or more. As we got closer to launch, we were waiting for liftoff to occur and we couldn't leave the computing centers, so sometimes we had to sleep there with the computers.... There was a lot of suspense involved as we anticipated a man going on top of a rocket. We knew the computer systems would work, but we were in suspense of the first U.S. man going to space."
Friday 6 May 2011
Flexible phone made from electronic paper to debut
The PaperPhone can do all the things bulkier smartphones can do such as make and take calls, send messages, play music or display e-books.
The gadget triggers different functions and features when bent, folded and flexed at its corners or sides.wholesale electronics suppliers
"Everything is going to look and feel like this within five years," said creator Dr Roel Vertegaal.
The device emerged from a collaboration between researchers at the Human Media Lab at Queen's University, Canada and Arizona State University's Motivational Environments Research group.wholesale Android Tablets
"This computer looks, feels and operates like a small sheet of interactive paper," said Dr Vertegaal in a statement. "You interact with it by bending it into a cell phone, flipping the corner to turn pages, or writing on it with a pen."
The millimetres thick prototype is built from the same e-ink technology found in Amazon's Kindle e-book reader and this is bonded to flex sensors and a touchscreen that interprets drawings and text written on it.
The prototype was created in order to investigate how easy it is for people to use bending and flexing to control such a device. The early version is connected to a laptop to interpret and record the ways test subjects flexed it.
Dr Vertegaal predicted that widespread use of larger versions of the PaperPhone might make the paperless office a reality.
The PaperPhone prototype will be on display on 10 May at the Computer Human Interaction conference in Vancouver.
At the same show the research team plan to show off a device they called the Snaplet. This device takes on different functions depending on how it is worn and bent.
The wristband is a watch when convex, a PDA when flat and a phone when concave.
The gadget triggers different functions and features when bent, folded and flexed at its corners or sides.wholesale electronics suppliers
"Everything is going to look and feel like this within five years," said creator Dr Roel Vertegaal.
The device emerged from a collaboration between researchers at the Human Media Lab at Queen's University, Canada and Arizona State University's Motivational Environments Research group.wholesale Android Tablets
"This computer looks, feels and operates like a small sheet of interactive paper," said Dr Vertegaal in a statement. "You interact with it by bending it into a cell phone, flipping the corner to turn pages, or writing on it with a pen."
The millimetres thick prototype is built from the same e-ink technology found in Amazon's Kindle e-book reader and this is bonded to flex sensors and a touchscreen that interprets drawings and text written on it.
The prototype was created in order to investigate how easy it is for people to use bending and flexing to control such a device. The early version is connected to a laptop to interpret and record the ways test subjects flexed it.
Dr Vertegaal predicted that widespread use of larger versions of the PaperPhone might make the paperless office a reality.
The PaperPhone prototype will be on display on 10 May at the Computer Human Interaction conference in Vancouver.
At the same show the research team plan to show off a device they called the Snaplet. This device takes on different functions depending on how it is worn and bent.
The wristband is a watch when convex, a PDA when flat and a phone when concave.
Thursday 5 May 2011
Two New Stamps Celebrate 50th Anniversary Of First U.S. Manned Spaceflight
The U.S. Postal Service on Wednesday-- the eve of the 50th anniversary of America's first manned spaceflight-- issued two new stamps that commemorate firsts in space exploration and science. wholesale electronics suppliers
One depicts Alan Shepard, who became the first American in space on May 5, 1961.
The second depicts NASA's unmanned MESSENGER, which on March 17, 2011 became the first ever spacecraft to enter Mercury's orbit.wholesale Android Tablets
NASA officials and Shepard's family members were among those who attended the unveiling ceremony at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The stamp designs, based on NASA images, were worked on by Donato Giancola of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Phil Jordon of Falls Church, Va.
One depicts Alan Shepard, who became the first American in space on May 5, 1961.
The second depicts NASA's unmanned MESSENGER, which on March 17, 2011 became the first ever spacecraft to enter Mercury's orbit.wholesale Android Tablets
NASA officials and Shepard's family members were among those who attended the unveiling ceremony at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The stamp designs, based on NASA images, were worked on by Donato Giancola of Brooklyn, N.Y., and Phil Jordon of Falls Church, Va.
Wednesday 4 May 2011
Online Dating Going Wireless Bucks Privacy Concern Over Apple, Google Apps
Apple Inc. (AAPL) and Google Inc. (GOOG) are trying to reassure iPhone and Android handset users they aren’t tracking their locations. Online dating companies are betting their bottom lines on doing just that. wholesale electronics suppliers
Meetic SA, the French owner of the European operations of Match.com, is joining start-ups including New York-based MeetMoi LLC in offering location-based dating services. Meetic will introduce features this year that let handset users find out real-time who’s around them and interested in meeting, and match potential soulmates who, for example, frequent the same gym, Managing Director Philippe Chainieux said in an interview. wholesale Android Tablets
Taking advantage of smartphones’ location data is a logical step for dating services, whose users are increasingly accessing their matches from handsets. The number of European Web users visiting a dating service “almost every day” through a mobile device rose 49 percent between February 2010 and the same month this year to 2.8 million, according to researcher comScore Inc. The number doing so at least once a week climbed 44 percent.
“As soon as mobile services are made available, uptake is usually faster than on the traditional Internet,” said Luca Benini, vice president and commercial director for comScore in Europe. “You can expect that everything that can be geo- localized will be eventually.”
The boom in mobile dating coincides with increased regulatory scrutiny of location data on smartphones. Germany, France and Italy said last month they are checking whether Apple’s iPhone and iPad products violate privacy rules by tracking, storing and sharing data about users’ locations. Cupertino, California-based Apple said it isn’t tracking users’ locations and plans to cut the amount of data the iPhone stores.
Flirt Charts
Meetic (MEET), Europe’s largest online-dating service, plans to use geo-location to shore up offerings for its 860,000 subscribers at the “flirt” end of a chart it uses to plot relationship types and the amount users are willing to pay to find them. “Love” and “long-term” matchmaking rely more heavily on existing, Internet-based access.
“Instead of going to find Mr. Right or Ms. Right at the other end of the world, maybe he or she is someone you go by every day,” Chainieux said. “We want to be able to say whether people who correspond to your criteria are in the same place as you.”
Convenient mobile services will give dating sites a chance to boost their “conversion rate,” or the frequency at which users migrate from free to paid services, the executive said.
Stock Performance
Meetic offers a range of prices for an online subscription, with promotions starting at 14.95 euros ($22) per month. Mobile access will be free for these subscribers. The company charges 10 euros a month for mobile-only service. Meetic’s profit reached 24 million euros in 2010, an increase of 23 percent a year earlier.
The website operator, based in the Paris suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt, has declined 6 percent this year, compared with a 17 percent jump at Edinburgh-based Cupid Plc and a 26 percent increase at IAC/InterActiveCorp, which owns Match.com’s U.S. operations.
In some ways, traditional dating sites like Meetic have lagged more specialized services in bringing location-based dating to the masses, which have tracked the rising popularity of more general location services like Foursquare.
Location-based iPhone and Android app FlirtMaps topped 500,000 downloads last month, with that figure expected to double by the end of the year, according to Marco Franciosa, the chief technology officer of parent Zodiak Active. Grindr, a location-based app for gay men that started operations in 2009, boasts 62,000 users in London alone, according to its website, and is planning a version for straight daters.
Background Checks
Still, safety concerns may slow the adoption of location- based dating. Last month, a Los Angeles woman who said she’d been sexually assaulted by a date she met online sued Match.Com. This and similar incidents may prompt calls for background checks by dating sites that would “incur significant additional cost and time delay,” said Fiona Orford-Williams, an analyst at Edison Investment Research in London.
To ease some of those concerns, FlirtMaps limits geo- localization to a one-kilometer radius, leaving any more specific co-ordinates for users to reveal themselves. Meetic is considering making only men visible on its pending real-time “flirting” service, keeping women’s locations at a given moment mostly off the map.
One major group of sites for singles is holding back from geo-location. Higher-end “matchmaking” sites, which pair partners looking for long-term love based on complicated personality profiles, “haven’t figured out how to make it useful,” said Peter Schmid, the chief executive officer of Germany-based Parship.com. “We have to be very careful about the use of new technologies.”
Parship, ElitePartner
Even so, matchmaking sites -- which promote an electronic, less expensive version of “concierge romance services” like those offered by London’s Gray & Farrar International -- are moving gingerly toward mobile services. Parship, which operates in countries including Italy, the U.K., and France, will roll out an application for Android devices this year, complementing an existing iPhone app, Schmid said.
Rival ElitePartner, which says it has about 2 million members, is betting mobile applications will push more users to sign up for paid services, rather than sticking with a basic free platform. “Mobile will increase the activity of the member, that’s clear,” said CEO Jost Schwaner. “Our perspective is that when activity rises, you will migrate into that second level. I’m totally convinced.”
Virtual Roses
In the longer term, mobile dating and matchmaking apps may become hubs for the sort of virtual currencies now common within Facebook games like Zynga Inc.’s FarmVille, with star-crossed daters sending each other virtual roses, for example, Schwaner said. FlirtMaps is already in this business, with features like “FlirtBombs,” a single message sent to the nearest 100 members, available in exchange for purchased “FlirtCoins.”
Although moving dating to mobile devices may involve peculiar challenges, there’s no reason it can’t eventually grow even more than its traditional desktop counterpart, according to FlirtMaps’ Franciosa.
“It used to be Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan falling in love over the Internet in ‘You’ve Got Mail,’” he said. “But we’re in a different era now.”
Meetic SA, the French owner of the European operations of Match.com, is joining start-ups including New York-based MeetMoi LLC in offering location-based dating services. Meetic will introduce features this year that let handset users find out real-time who’s around them and interested in meeting, and match potential soulmates who, for example, frequent the same gym, Managing Director Philippe Chainieux said in an interview. wholesale Android Tablets
Taking advantage of smartphones’ location data is a logical step for dating services, whose users are increasingly accessing their matches from handsets. The number of European Web users visiting a dating service “almost every day” through a mobile device rose 49 percent between February 2010 and the same month this year to 2.8 million, according to researcher comScore Inc. The number doing so at least once a week climbed 44 percent.
“As soon as mobile services are made available, uptake is usually faster than on the traditional Internet,” said Luca Benini, vice president and commercial director for comScore in Europe. “You can expect that everything that can be geo- localized will be eventually.”
The boom in mobile dating coincides with increased regulatory scrutiny of location data on smartphones. Germany, France and Italy said last month they are checking whether Apple’s iPhone and iPad products violate privacy rules by tracking, storing and sharing data about users’ locations. Cupertino, California-based Apple said it isn’t tracking users’ locations and plans to cut the amount of data the iPhone stores.
Flirt Charts
Meetic (MEET), Europe’s largest online-dating service, plans to use geo-location to shore up offerings for its 860,000 subscribers at the “flirt” end of a chart it uses to plot relationship types and the amount users are willing to pay to find them. “Love” and “long-term” matchmaking rely more heavily on existing, Internet-based access.
“Instead of going to find Mr. Right or Ms. Right at the other end of the world, maybe he or she is someone you go by every day,” Chainieux said. “We want to be able to say whether people who correspond to your criteria are in the same place as you.”
Convenient mobile services will give dating sites a chance to boost their “conversion rate,” or the frequency at which users migrate from free to paid services, the executive said.
Stock Performance
Meetic offers a range of prices for an online subscription, with promotions starting at 14.95 euros ($22) per month. Mobile access will be free for these subscribers. The company charges 10 euros a month for mobile-only service. Meetic’s profit reached 24 million euros in 2010, an increase of 23 percent a year earlier.
The website operator, based in the Paris suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt, has declined 6 percent this year, compared with a 17 percent jump at Edinburgh-based Cupid Plc and a 26 percent increase at IAC/InterActiveCorp, which owns Match.com’s U.S. operations.
In some ways, traditional dating sites like Meetic have lagged more specialized services in bringing location-based dating to the masses, which have tracked the rising popularity of more general location services like Foursquare.
Location-based iPhone and Android app FlirtMaps topped 500,000 downloads last month, with that figure expected to double by the end of the year, according to Marco Franciosa, the chief technology officer of parent Zodiak Active. Grindr, a location-based app for gay men that started operations in 2009, boasts 62,000 users in London alone, according to its website, and is planning a version for straight daters.
Background Checks
Still, safety concerns may slow the adoption of location- based dating. Last month, a Los Angeles woman who said she’d been sexually assaulted by a date she met online sued Match.Com. This and similar incidents may prompt calls for background checks by dating sites that would “incur significant additional cost and time delay,” said Fiona Orford-Williams, an analyst at Edison Investment Research in London.
To ease some of those concerns, FlirtMaps limits geo- localization to a one-kilometer radius, leaving any more specific co-ordinates for users to reveal themselves. Meetic is considering making only men visible on its pending real-time “flirting” service, keeping women’s locations at a given moment mostly off the map.
One major group of sites for singles is holding back from geo-location. Higher-end “matchmaking” sites, which pair partners looking for long-term love based on complicated personality profiles, “haven’t figured out how to make it useful,” said Peter Schmid, the chief executive officer of Germany-based Parship.com. “We have to be very careful about the use of new technologies.”
Parship, ElitePartner
Even so, matchmaking sites -- which promote an electronic, less expensive version of “concierge romance services” like those offered by London’s Gray & Farrar International -- are moving gingerly toward mobile services. Parship, which operates in countries including Italy, the U.K., and France, will roll out an application for Android devices this year, complementing an existing iPhone app, Schmid said.
Rival ElitePartner, which says it has about 2 million members, is betting mobile applications will push more users to sign up for paid services, rather than sticking with a basic free platform. “Mobile will increase the activity of the member, that’s clear,” said CEO Jost Schwaner. “Our perspective is that when activity rises, you will migrate into that second level. I’m totally convinced.”
Virtual Roses
In the longer term, mobile dating and matchmaking apps may become hubs for the sort of virtual currencies now common within Facebook games like Zynga Inc.’s FarmVille, with star-crossed daters sending each other virtual roses, for example, Schwaner said. FlirtMaps is already in this business, with features like “FlirtBombs,” a single message sent to the nearest 100 members, available in exchange for purchased “FlirtCoins.”
Although moving dating to mobile devices may involve peculiar challenges, there’s no reason it can’t eventually grow even more than its traditional desktop counterpart, according to FlirtMaps’ Franciosa.
“It used to be Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan falling in love over the Internet in ‘You’ve Got Mail,’” he said. “But we’re in a different era now.”
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