:: Future of Journalism

Technology waves and valuations: Are we in a social networking bubble?

RogerAndMike.com :: In my opinion, “Are we in a social networking bubble?” is an example of a rhetorical fallacy.  It assumes that social networking companies are either wildly overvalued like it’s 1999, or correctly/undervalued and there’s nothing to worry about. Framing questions honestly and in a truth-seeking way is one of the most important skills of the innovator or investor.  My hope is to tackle the question of social networking valuations with this in mind.

[Mike:] The question, “Are we in a social networking bubble?” misses the point.  The more important question is, “Where are we in the social networking wave, what is the valuation environment given where we are, what are the criteria for success, and what are the warning signs?”

By mapping the typical progression of valuations and investor sentiment to technology waves, I hope to show that investors and the market almost never know how to correctly value important disruptive technology companies.

Continue to read rogerandmike.com

m-generation: More than 50% of mobile phones sold this year will be 3G or 4G capable

BGR :: More than 50% of all phones sold this year will be capable of running on 4G or 3G data networks, according to a new report from ABI Research. “As the festive cheer of the holiday season dies away, the mood among handset vendors remains quietly confident regarding 2012,” Jake Saunders, vice president of forecasting for ABI Research said. “The outlook will yield growth in the order of 8%, netting 1.67 billion handsets shipped worldwide by the end of 2012."

Research details - Continue to read Todd Haselton, www.bgr.com

Flotype - democratization of real-time messaging between any server, any device

TechCrunch :: Flotype, which was part of Y Combinator’s Winter 2011 class, is announcing that its first product is Bridge, a technology that enables real-time communication between any server, any device, on any platform. Bridge is essentially an API that developers can use to avoid the complexity of building real-time messaging into their applications, and help push more data faster between servers, web browsers, mobile phones and other devices.

The company received funding from Andreessen Horowitz, Ignition Partners, Yuri Milner, Salesforce, and Y Combinator.

Continue to read Leena Rao, techcrunch.com

From Tunis to Tahrir Square: Internet access is not a human right, it is an enabler

New York Times :: From the streets of Tunis to Tahrir Square and beyond, protests around the world last year were built on the Internet and the many devices that interact with it. It is no surprise, then, that the protests have raised questions about whether Internet access is or should be a civil or human right. In June, citing the uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa, a report by the United Nations’ special rapporteur went so far as to declare that the Internet had “become an indispensable tool for realizing a range of human rights.” But that argument, however well meaning, misses a larger point:

[Vinton G. Cerf, Chief Internet evangelist for Google:] ... technology is an enabler of rights, not a right itself.

Continue to read Vinton G. Cerf, www.nytimes.com

Kuala Lumpur to require restaurants, cafes, more to provide free Wi-Fi

If you walk through Munich, Germany, you will find a lot of cafes already offering free Wi-Fi for their guests. Free access to the Internet is crucial to close the gap between those who can afford to pay for access and those without the chance to participate (digital divide).

New Straits Times :: ‏كوالا لومڤور‎ | Kuala Lumpur - The requirement for restaurants and eateries in the city centre of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to be Wi-Fi ready will be enforced by City Hall as early as April. This requirement has been set by City Hall as mandatory prerequisite for food operators when they apply for their licence to open a new  restaurant or when existing operators renew their licence. 

Details of the law - Continue to read Halim Said, www.nst.com.my

The Verge and The Kernel: Technology journalism’s refreshing new face

Dave Lee :: “Hello humans,” he says, looking almost surprised that anyone has bothered to turn up. “This is our first show. We have a million planned, literally.” The scene resembles something from the mid-nineties, your typical late night smokey chat show fronted by a charismatic presenter who will probably never air at any time other than 1am — which is just the way he likes it.

And the presenter, Joshua Topolsky, is talking to entrepreneurs, CEOs and other people responsible for some of the tech that is, to some people at least, changing how we live. Topolsky and his team run The Verge.

Clipped from: www.theverge.com (share this clip)

 

Clipped from: www.kernelmag.com (share this clip)

 

Continue to read Dave Lee, davelee.me

Apple's next iPad generation will have a full HD screen

In short: Apple's next iPad generation will have a full HD screen.

DigiTimes :: Apple is expected to push forward the adoption of IGZO (indium gallium zinc oxide) flat panels, instead of IPS (in-plane switching) panels used currently, for its next-generation mobile display products, according to sources in Apple's supply chain. Starting with the new iPads, Apple will utilize IGZO panels from Sharp in order to upgrade the display resolution of the new tablets to full HD level, the sources indicated.

Yenting Chen | Steve Shen, www.digitimes.com

How startup SocialGuide helps drives Social TV

Entrepreneur :: SocialGuide aggregates the more than 100 million comments on Twitter and Facebook made about roughly 24,000 unique TV shows as they air and links them to its TV listings. Unlike the listings from your satellite or cable TV provider, SocialGuide displays program listings alongside viewers' comments in real time and sorts them according to their buzz factor. Registered users can look at streams of comments from their friends, all of cyberspace, those in their ZIP code or other areas, and add to the conversation about programs as they air.

Clipped from: www.socialguide.com (share this clip)

Continue to read Margaret Littman, www.entrepreneur.com

Single access point - WSJ: Apple moves forward with TV plans

Wall Street Journal :: In recent weeks, Apple executives have discussed their vision for the future of TV with media executives at several large companies, according to people familiar with the matter. In the meetings with media companies, the Apple executives, including Senior Vice President Eddy Cue, have outlined new ways Apple's technology could recognize users across phones, tablets and TVs, people familiar with the talks said.

Continue to read Jessica E. Vascellaro | Sam Schechner, online.wsj.com

The Wall is Artefacts "next generation retail experience", why not use it for local news?

Artefact :: The Wall is an interactive life-sized display that brings online capabilities into the store and onto products. Customers can place physical products against The Wall display and interact with related content aggregated from multiple online sources such as product info, related info, opinions, analytics, demonstrations and media.

Watch the product demo (showroom) here www.artefactgroup.com