Even though all signs indicate Samsung will be joining the Google TV party shortly, it's not going to give up on its own existing Smart TV platform just yet. We don't know if it will run the two side by side as it has operated with Yahoo! Widgets, but the Korean manufacturer has announced it plans to release version 3.0 of its SDK January 5th. The new Samsung Apps toolkit supports mobile devices and TV sets, and lets developers build in support for remote controls, as well as USB mice, keyboards or gamepads. Of course, not all devs will work for free, so they're also adding a way for them to get paid through the built-in payment system or advertisements. Currently, Samsung claims 25,000 developers from 140 countries in its forums, but we'll have to wait until CES 2012 to find out if its products live up to the hype and attract more innovative software to the segment. Continue reading Samsung's Smart TV SDK reaches 3.0 with support for USB controllers, payment and ads Samsung's Smart TV SDK reaches 3.0 with support for USB controllers, payment and ads originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 Jan 2012 02:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments
from Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/03/samsungs-smart-tv-sdk-30-usb-advertisements/
Is this the end of CES? That’s one question I’ll be trying to answer as I walk the acres-long trade show floor. I’ll also be searching for the one true thing: that awesome product that makes the whole endeavor worthwhile.
It’s turning out to be an odd year for the 40-plus-year-old trade show. Microsoft announced just weeks before the big event in Las Vegas that 2012 would be, essentially, its last CES. No more keynotes, no more trade show booth. The Consumer Electronics Association put on a brave face and explained that the decision to end the 14-year Microsoft keynote run was a mutual one and that other vendors are lining up to occupy Microsoft’s Central Hall space. Then just a few days ago, Verizon’s CEO announced he would not participate in a scheduled panel. Some might try and conflagrate these two events, but as I see it, Microsoft’s decision is momentous and Verizon’s is minor and not indicative of anything.
So what are we to make of this year’s CES, and which products, talks and technologies will define the event that could mark a turning point in CES’s history.
HDTVs: Smarter, Bigger More Desperate
The specter of Apple’s iTV, which could arrive this year, looms large over CES 2012. My guess is manufacturers like Samsung, Sony and Sharp will work hard to prove their HDTVs were smart long before Steve Jobs thought he had “solved” the TV problem. They’ll be right, too. Most of today’s TVs have much in common with computers. All they lack are spinning hard drives and keyboards (though some have those, too). Google will likely show off another Google TV update, possibly during one of the main electronics giant’s press conferences. My money is on Sony.
I think we’ll still see some 3D, but mostly the no-glasses-required variety. No one will care.
We’ll see giant TVs, but LG’s giant, razor-thin, edge-to-edge 55-inch OLED screen could be the belle of the CE ball. Unless of course someone like Sony (the company that showed me my first OLED screen CESes ago) shows up with an even bigger OLED screen.
By the way, I hope you aren’t too enamored of that bezel that runs around your HDTV. I expect more than a few of the next-gen sets (including LG’s OLED screen) to dispense with the bezel entirely.
Only the Thin Laptops Survive
HP’s Spectre Ultrabook (we assume that’s what it is, based on a 30-second teaser video) is sure to be just one of many super-thin, sub 3-lb, full-power laptops we’ll see at CES (an eager Lenovo couldn’t wait until CES to unveil its T430u ultrabook). These Mac Airbook competitors will all be sexy enough to draw away some of the attention from what may be one of the bigger stories coming out of CES 2012.
Re-Rise of the Tablets
Last year’s CES (2011) was a veritable “tabletpalooza.” This year, it’ll be more like a tablet convention. We’ll see a number of big-name manufacturers take another run at the iPad and, perhaps, Amazon’s 7-inch Kindle Fire (which sold at least a million units in a little more than a month last year). And not everyone will wait for CES to unveil their latest slabs. Velocity Micro jumped the gun this week and unveiled its new line of Cruz Tablets: the 9.7-inch T510 and the 7-inch T507. Expect this new generation of iPad competitors to look better and be more powerful than anything we’ve seen before.
SEE ALSO: 14 Essential Stops to Make on Your Tour of CES 2012
Hello, Windows 8 — Goodbye, Microsoft
Speaking of tablets, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will likely use his last CES keynote to tout Windows 8 and tablets running the upcoming update. Two years ago, Ballmer showed off an HP slate running Windows 7. It seems unlikely that HP will step up to the plate again in 2012 with a Windows 8 tablet — at least not one that Ballmer cam show on stage. My money is on Acer, a company with first-mover tendencies. Windows 8 can run on ARM-based devices, so we may also see Samsung (not the Google-owned Motorola Mobility) with a Galaxy-like Windows 8 device.
I will be curious to see if Ballmer pulls out all the stops and finally brings some excitement to his CES presentation. His keynotes have been lackluster affairs that, while typically delivering valuable information and product glimpses, never excite or inspire. Come on, Steve, go out with a bang. (By the way, I’ll be live blogging the event Monday at 6:30 p.m. PT.)
Super-Duper Phones
I’m sure we’ll see handsets from all the usual suspects: HTC, Nokia, Motorola, Samsung and LG. We may also see some smartphones from companies that usually deliver larger computing and CE devices. In fact, I expect Intel to at least show one or two reference models for super-phones built around its Medfield (Atom-update) CPU.
Home of Your Future and the Internet of All Things
The legion of home automation and control products will only get larger after this CES. Carrier, Phillips, Leviton, Savant and many more will show a wide array of home automation and control solutions and appliances that, if not self-aware, will certainly be able to connect to you through the Internet.
Continuing a trend we saw start at CES 2011, in-car Internet technology will again take center stage at CES. Ford, Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi are all expected to show off some new, always connected technologies, as well as driver assistance advancements and more sophisticated navigation tools.
Going Social and App Aware
I got so few pure software pitches this year, but quite a few app press releases and more than a few emails promising the next big thing in social media at CES 2012. Quite a few of these apps and networks revolve around videos and photos. Makes sense, since one-fourth of all photos are captured on smartphones.
Gadget Explosion
Here’s what’s best about CES: All the crazy gadgets. There will be portable fuel cell batteries, security web cams, flying toys, game gear, walking robots and countless doodads you haven’t even imagined yet. Nestled in among there could be that one, magical consumer electronics product you’ve been waiting for.
Which products and technologies are you most excited to hear about and see from this year’s consumer electronics extravaganza? Let us know in in the comments.
More About: CES, CES 2012, HDTV, home automation, intel, LG, microsoft, OLED, smartphones, sony, tablets, trending, Windows 8 
from Mashable! http://mashable.com/2012/01/05/ces-2012-what-to-expect/?utm_source=feedburner...
| January 19, 2012 |
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LPP and the Social Media Club Boston invite you to pre-game with us before the Bruins face off against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday, January 19. The pre-game fun starts at 6pm at The Greatest Bar, 262 Friend Street, in Boston.
Sign up today — only the first 50 who RSVP can get in. Visit http://www.lpp.com/joinus.html or email RSVP@lpp.com for more information or to save your space!
Thanks to our sponsor, LPP!

from Social Media Club Boston http://socialmediaboston.org/?p=388
There are more than 130 Facebook app developers with access to my profile. Sixty-eight apps have permission to post to my Twitter feed, eight of them can access my LinkedIn data and another eight are connected to my Gmail account. You don’t have to be an online privacy expert to understand that’s probably too many, but how many apps have permission to your account?
Israel-based entrepreneur Avi Charkham has cut down the time it will take you to find out. After becoming frustrated with how difficult it is to locate app permission pages on social sites, Charkham compiled direct links to such pages for eight different networks into one place on the site MyPermissions.
“I kept connecting to services, and one day I was looking for the list to remove some of them,” Charkham tells Mashable. “I found that Facebook hid them behind four or five links…and thought to myself, ‘There’s no way people can find this.’ Two clicks I could live with, but four or five made it clear they were hiding it.”
He recently relaunched the list at the domain mypermissions.org, and it took off on Twitter and Facebook after a fan submitted it to Hacker News on Monday. Using the site to help clean up your app permissions takes about two minutes, and you can sign up to receive monthly reminders to review your app permissions thereafter.
Charkham is the cofounder of a web app called MyFamilio that lets families post their family moments privately. The simple MyPermissions site is just a side project and — if you’re looking to better protect your online privacy this year — a favor.

Image courtesy of Flickr, Darwin Bell
More About: MyPermissions, privacy 
from Mashable! http://mashable.com/2012/01/04/mypermissions/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_mediu...
While we're disappointed about some of the instant-classic bowl games we missed including in the listings during our extended New Year's break, we figure also skipping over the premieres of Work It and The Biggest Loser evens things out. Check below for the highlights remaining this week, followed after the break by our weekly listings of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames. Portlandia
If you're looking for a comedy that's a bit different, check out IFC's satirical take on hipster culture, although you'll probably need a subscription to the New Yorker as well as bookmarks for Pitchfork and Hype Machine to get the jokes. It stars and is written by Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, whose characters travel through a slightly more absurd caricature of Portland, Oregon than the one that really exists, although it does star the real city mayor as the assistant to the mayor. It's a niche show, but if you get it, you'll get it. Check out a clip of what happens when the characters decide to watch just one episode of Battlestar Galactica embedded after the break.
(January 6th, IFC, 10PM) Saturday Night Live
While SNL can be hit or miss, we're always intrigued when the host isn't just another actor, and this week the show features Charles Barkley. This could either be fantastic or turrible (c) Barkley, but we've just got to see it either way. Kelly Clarkson will also be in attendance, this information may or may not be relevant to your interests.
(January 7th, NBC, 11:30PM) The Firm
With a plot that begins ten years after the events of the movie that starred Tom Cruise as lawyer Mitch McDeere, The Firm revisits John Grisham's most popular character as he and his family leave the witness protection program to start a new life. Of course, things just can't be so simple, and it appears he has stumbled on yet another law firm with a secret to hide. The new show premieres on NBC Sunday night, check out a preview trailer after the break.
(January 8th, NBC, 9PM) Continue reading Must See HDTV (January 4th - 8th) Must See HDTV (January 4th - 8th) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 16:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments
from Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/04/must-see-hdtv-january-4th-8th/
USA Today takes a look at the effect rumors of an Apple television set are having on expectations for next week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, with the industry's existing players working hard to avoid to being caught flat-footed by Apple as mobile phone manufacturers in many cases were by the iPhone.
While rumors have pegged the Apple television set as offering Siri-powered voice recognition and control, the new report offers a few other tidbits of information on the project including claims that the company is working to launch models of at least 42 inches and that a 50-inch model is currently in the works in the its design studio. Apple is said to be looking at a 42-inch or larger LCD TV with built-in Wi-Fi. Inside the locked-down studio of Jonathan Ive, senior vice president of industrial design at Apple, there's a slick 50-inch TV, according to the source who worked at Apple. Early reports had claimed that Apple was looking at TVs in the 40-55" range, but a recent report from Digitimes claimed that suppliers were preparing components for smaller 32" and 37" models.
USA Today's report also summarizes some of the other expectations for an Apple television set, including Siri, an iOS-compatible processor supporting apps, AirPlay, and iCloud. But Apple reportedly continues to struggle with how to bring content to the new television set as it attempts to break free of the traditional cable TV model. But a major roadblock for Apple along the way has been securing content needed to make an iTV succeed. The problems Apple is having securing content deals were described in an interview with a person who worked in the Apple TV group and verified by two television industry sources. All declined to be identified because of the confidential nature of the talks.
They say Apple has been unable to cut deals that would let it offer first-tier TV network programs for an à la carte iTunes TV service. That's seen as a key element to launching a revolutionary iTV. With so many rumors pointing towards Apple's work on television sets, it's not surprising that company co-founder Steve Wozniak also believes that an effort is underway. "I do expect Apple to make an attempt," says Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, "since I expect the living room to remain a center for family entertainment, and that touches on all areas of consumer products that Apple is already making." Even as Apple's plans remain under wraps and the subject of considerable rumors and speculation, it is clear that competitors are taking note of where the company is likely to go with its project, with today's report citing executives from Samsung, LG, and Microsoft all acknowledging the threat. "We do not discount what they are going to do in the space — they are going to come on strong," says [Microsoft general manager of content acquisition and strategy Ross] Honey. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories
• CloudOn's Office App for iPad 'Sold Out', Pulled from App Store
• Site Sends SMS Message When WWDC Tickets Go On Sale
• UPS Mobile App Adds Barcode Scanning For Easier Package Tracking
• PostSecret Pulls iOS App Over Abusive Submissions
• Verizon Drops $2 'Convenience Fee' Due to Complaints
from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - Front Page http://www.macrumors.com/2012/01/04/apple-reportedly-working-on-42-television...
Not a week goes by where I meet with an entrepreneur that has an all to familiar problem — “I can’t raise seed money”. Even in this environment where it seems like everyone is pulling in $10′s of millions of funding, there are still alot of companies that are having a hard time raising seed capital. The next statement that I often hear, is “I’ve been so focused on fund raising over the past XX months, I haven’t spent much time on product/customer acquisition/etc.” When I hear this, it always concerns me.
The reality is, they’re not listening to the market and instead of spending time on what really matters — they’ve spent their time chasing every lead, introduction, and possible funding source — with little to show (except frustration and exhaustion). Hopefully you have a great team with really relevant experiences, and there are a few entrepreneurs that can raise money based on reputation alone, but chances are — pretty slim. So what’s my advice? It’s simple really:
- Stop spending all of your time on fundraising.
- Listen to the feedback — silence is deafening.
- Focus your time and energy on building a disruptive and compelling product & start to get data to show validation.
- Great product and some traction, the funding will come to you.
What should traction look like? It doesn’t have to be 6 months of data, or millions of users. It should be directional (IE: does the slope of the line head the right way with a 3 or 4 key data points). Your goal is to have a thesis (not all of the answers), start to understand whats working and what’s not, and what levers you need to pull to make the business head in the right direction……yup, it’s all about reducing risk! A few key data points I’d think about (and I always ask about!) and be able to show data against: (Note: not all are always applicable)
- User acquisition rate and source (can you acquire users and are you buying them, or are they organic?)
- Of those users, what is the daily/weekly/monthly actives (registered users alone, is totally uninteresting w/o this data)
- Unit economics and conversion of free to paid users? (can you build layers of services on top of a freemium model?)
- What’s the cost of acquisition? LTV of a customer? (ideally you’l show cost going down, value going up)
You shouldn’t expect to have mountains of data, but the more data you can provide — the better. What creates compelling data? Great product!! If you’re struggling to fund raise —Focus on a building a compelling & disruptive product, the fundraising will complete itself.
Editor’s note: Gus is part of BostInno’s insider network. This post first appeared on his personal blog.
from BostInno http://bostinno.com/2012/01/05/focus-on-product-not-fundraising/
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