Facebook sales, driven by mobile, shoot up nearly 60 percent

<b>Facebook continues to reap rewards in mobile, growing its crucial ads business in large part due to ads placed on smaller screens, the company reported Tuesday.</b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisTO7jWR2Jw6DMShc9pjGQ-PsFoGTFdLgyb1myRYPsE_eJn_AZTRSRZR84u1_mOU3qo95_7TEZtcU7vqGhNXiX_hSKS9oAyGuiZU0ZAoHpLvZUZ3jRVrJq7Qi8KNH3zZkXHLLF4Z1-TuAx/s1600/Facebook-sales-tech24h.blogspot.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Facebook sales, driven by mobile, shoot up nearly 60 percent" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisTO7jWR2Jw6DMShc9pjGQ-PsFoGTFdLgyb1myRYPsE_eJn_AZTRSRZR84u1_mOU3qo95_7TEZtcU7vqGhNXiX_hSKS9oAyGuiZU0ZAoHpLvZUZ3jRVrJq7Qi8KNH3zZkXHLLF4Z1-TuAx/s1600/Facebook-sales-tech24h.blogspot.com.jpg" title="Facebook sales, driven by mobile, shoot up nearly 60 percent" /></a></div> <div> <b><br /></b>Total sales for the third quarter ended Sept. 30 amounted to US$3.2 billion, up 59 percent from the same period last year, and beating consensus analyst expectations of $3.12 billion, as polled by Thomson Reuters.<br /><br />Roughly two-thirds of sales, or 66 percent, came from ads placed on mobile devices, Facebook reported, up from just under half of all revenue coming from mobile a year ago.<br /><br />Facebook’s ability to monetize its site with ads on smaller screens was in previous years a concern to investors, but the company has demonstrated considerable progress there.<br /><br />Facebook also reported decent gains in growing its user base, a critical element in attracting and retaining advertisers. The number of users who logged in at least once a month clocked in at 1.35 billion, Facebook said, up 14 percent.<br /><br />Meanwhile, the number of users who logged in daily—another important metric—rose by 19 percent to 864 million.<br /><br />Facebook stock was at around $79.99 in after hours trading following its earnings report, down slightly from its close of $80.77, possibly signaling lingering investor concerns over Facebook’s progress toward growing its audience.<br /><br />Facebook nearly doubled its net income for the third quarter, to $806 million.<br /><br />The company’s adjusted earnings per share was $0.43, above analyst estimates of $0.40.<br /><br />CEO Mark Zuckerberg, in Facebook’s announcement, called the results “strong,” showing a “good quarter.”<br /></div> <div> <br /></div>

Facebook sales, driven by mobile, shoot up nearly 60 percent

Facebook continues to reap rewards in mobile, growing its crucial ads business in large part due to ads placed on smaller screens, the compa...

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The Nexus 9 wasn't designed to be an iPad killer

The Nexus 9 is not designed to be an iPad killer; it is designed to inspire Google's Android partners to create an alternative.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ACQgJRSebBsgnOzFYuhczyH70FvV2JUx5pHK-NEa8F1LdVX7VNslfV-ZIb0A89ks_ONV5-QO_GgxGqiWsYuMQ4Do7YErcqs2M_uQKT2xi1hA40ZLDDAfW-8prPAXpId5AHzYASAVpSIY/s1600/HTC-Nesus-9ttech24h.blogspot.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="HTC Nexus 9" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ACQgJRSebBsgnOzFYuhczyH70FvV2JUx5pHK-NEa8F1LdVX7VNslfV-ZIb0A89ks_ONV5-QO_GgxGqiWsYuMQ4Do7YErcqs2M_uQKT2xi1hA40ZLDDAfW-8prPAXpId5AHzYASAVpSIY/s1600/HTC-Nesus-9ttech24h.blogspot.com.jpg" title="HTC Nexus 9" /></a></div> <div> <br /> <div> Although you'd be forgiven for thinking different: It was announced a day before the Air 2 and 3 mini iPad, comes with a powerful 64-bit chip NVIDIA and will be priced to compete with tablets Apple. But Alberto Villarreal, director of industrial design of the Nexus 9, confirming that this is not the purpose.<br /> <div> <br /> "We want to promote the high-end market for Android tablets," Villarreal said. "[The Nexus 9] has many attributes and is sure to bring quality to other companies to do better." </div> <div> <br /> Nexus 9 is a shining example in much the same way that last year's Nexus device, 5 and 7, shows that the manufacturer that it is possible to create cheap phones and tablets that look good and perform well. The team needed a partner with experience in creating high-end devices, so it turned to HTC. </div> <div> <br /> The team needed a partner with experience in creating high-end devices, so it turned to HTC. <br /> "We see the One and really liked their design is very simple, focusing on usability and eliminate things that do not need to be there," Villarreal said. </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> HTC Nexus 9 production processing and working closely with Google on the design and material of it, but it looks unlike anything the Taiwan-based manufacturing has been done before. BoomSound well hidden stereo speakers on the front is characterized by HTC, but otherwise the tablet looks like a blown up version of the Nexus 5: The straight sides, matte soft-grip (Polycarbonate) back and even camera position provides a very striking similarity. (Villarreal helped design the Nexus 5 is fine.) However, there are 9 more on a higher level than last year thanks to smartphones using aluminum. <br /> <br /> If the design team entertaining the idea of a device made ​​of metal, the thought does not stick. It's like a layered approach: The parties provide hard aluminum and protection, in addition to its premium appearance, while polycarbonate is meant to provide a better grip and more color options. <br /> <br /> And while the Nexus 9 of three colors - black, white and sand - not exactly exciting or eye-catching, more consideration goes into choosing the right color. </div> <div> <br /> "We're moving away from technology-driven black and silver, which is very common in the industry, and trying to bring more of a fashion look portfolio," Villarreal said.</div> </div> </div>

The Nexus 9 wasn't designed to be an iPad killer

The Nexus 9 is not designed to be an iPad killer; it is designed to inspire Google's Android partners to create an alternative. Al...

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How would you change the 13-inch, mid-2013 MacBook Air?

<b>Meet the new boss, broadly the same as the old boss. Except this variation of Apple'sthin-and-light mobile PC was packing Haswell, Intel's power-sipping wonder chip, capable of giving the 2013 MBA its 12-plus-hour battery life and nippy speed.</b><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNTtczuYJFOTk0z20sD3ddDdFRBp06d0GxoS1ebYvrAs112G7ykWQv7_P6nSxmDok7fJZuoJp-te5G8Jho-29Hr3IAjn0rXMcdtzOOuYw9HIw7jtYK9_tDlHZF49f1Gam1ylXoj5Xdv07P/s1600/MacBook-Air-tech24h.blogspot.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="MacBook Air" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNTtczuYJFOTk0z20sD3ddDdFRBp06d0GxoS1ebYvrAs112G7ykWQv7_P6nSxmDok7fJZuoJp-te5G8Jho-29Hr3IAjn0rXMcdtzOOuYw9HIw7jtYK9_tDlHZF49f1Gam1ylXoj5Xdv07P/s1600/MacBook-Air-tech24h.blogspot.com.jpg" title="MacBook Air" /></a></div> <div> <b><br /></b> <div> When we sat this down in front of Tim Stevens' hands, his only grip was that the device was lacking a retina display, although we're probably still a year or two away from that taking place. Still, we imagine plenty of you out there picked up one of these devices, so why not hop on the forum and tell us if you'd have taken a MacBook Air with a four-hour battery life in exchange for some pixel-dense goodness.</div> </div>

How would you change the 13-inch, mid-2013 MacBook Air?

Meet the new boss, broadly the same as the old boss. Except this variation of Apple'sthin-and-light mobile PC was packing Haswell, Intel...

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Xiaomi is moving some of its users' data out of China

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <b>Xiaomi's a force to be reckoned with in China -- its new phones routinely sell out online in seconds -- but its influence is steadily growing outside its native home.</b><br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij7CCXNWgkVyogOt3eGopXPAU5PArjosqHJ-aFcj8Z8f1Rd0xc_YR5rBrz9b27irb45fPBLZYGLPyXUcq-GtJ7nQy7jdrv-CRrfhCmhVEFLRwahkrBy1nwBq10Lnx7hINRGX7FITLDn2OI/s1600/Xiaomi-tech24h.blogspot.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="alt" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij7CCXNWgkVyogOt3eGopXPAU5PArjosqHJ-aFcj8Z8f1Rd0xc_YR5rBrz9b27irb45fPBLZYGLPyXUcq-GtJ7nQy7jdrv-CRrfhCmhVEFLRwahkrBy1nwBq10Lnx7hINRGX7FITLDn2OI/s1600/Xiaomi-tech24h.blogspot.com.jpg" title="Xiaomi is moving some of its users' data out of China" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Xiaomi is moving some of its users' data out of China</td></tr> </tbody></table> <div> <div> That's why the company's infrastructure has been quietly shifting these past few months, and VP/former Googler Hugo Barra pulled back the curtain on what Xiaomi's been up to. Long story short: it's moving user data around the world, not only to make sure its services work better, but also to better protect its users' information.<br /> <br /> Some of the changes Xiaomi enacted are purely prosaic: it's moving its e-commerce platform to Amazon data centers in California and Singapore so the site runs faster. Great! Of course, there's something more crucial to Xiaomi's future than making sure its website loads quickly. We're talking about privacy here, and Xiaomi doesn't exactly have a spotless track record when it comes safeguarding user info.<br /> <br /> Finnish security firm F-Secure learned earlier this year that some Xiaomi phones relayed sensitive information like phone numbers and device identifiers back to company servers in China (in plain text, no less). Xiaomi quickly addressed the issue, but it was still enough to spook some curious players around the world. Take India, for instance - Xiaomi pulled off a very successful (if quiet) launch there, selling 40,000 phones in a hair over four seconds in early September. Earlier this week, though, The New Indian Express reported that the Indian Air Force has been cracking down on the use of Xiaomi phones because of their habit of relaying information back to China. Similar concerns caused the Taiwanese government to conduct its own investigation on Xiaomi phones, though officials haven't yet published their results.<br /> <br /> Xiaomi's great data shift might be the right answer at the right time. Barra noted that international users' data would no longer live in Beijing -- instead, it'll be stored on Amazon servers in Oregon and Singapore, far away from the Chinese government's curious eyes. If Xiaomi's really going to grow into the global giant it clearly wants to be, it has to do pull of the greatest feat of them all: it has to make the world's potential customers trust it. The move won't be done until later this year, but still -- it's a very clear step in the right direction.</div> </div> <div> <br /></div>

Xiaomi is moving some of its users' data out of China

Xiaomi's a force to be reckoned with in China -- its new phones routinely sell out online in seconds -- but its influence is steadily ...

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Xbox Music ditches free desktop streaming on December 1st

<b>If you're hooked on Xbox Music's free desktop-based listening, you're going to have make some backup plans very shortly. </b><br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32w3PSbna-1ne003kREVkxVt2m69wgqfY5zcALureBjgZxN_PtM1CVK5r9F_yzGwO8RlW73HYXCU2gpSQiFTLBrnUCKt-pe2x9eRVBAcXEf4gMljG6hCV0gPWZaIIPjcLNuhkNVeMNuHN/s1600/Xbox-Music-tech24h.blogspot.com.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="alt" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj32w3PSbna-1ne003kREVkxVt2m69wgqfY5zcALureBjgZxN_PtM1CVK5r9F_yzGwO8RlW73HYXCU2gpSQiFTLBrnUCKt-pe2x9eRVBAcXEf4gMljG6hCV0gPWZaIIPjcLNuhkNVeMNuHN/s1600/Xbox-Music-tech24h.blogspot.com.jpg" title="Xbox Music ditches free desktop streaming on December 1st" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Xbox Music ditches free desktop streaming on December 1st</td></tr> </tbody></table> <div> <div> Microsoft has announced that it's dropping the no-cost web and Windows streaming option as of December 1st; after that, you'll have to pay for a Music Pass if you want all-you-can-eat tunes beyond the 30-day trial period. </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> The company claims that it's refocusing Xbox Music to make it the "ultimate music purchase and subscription service," although it's not elaborating on what that entails. Suffice it to say that Microsoft has a lot of competition in the free music space. Its main rival, Spotify, has over 30 million free users worldwide on a wider range of platforms -- it wouldn't be easy for Microsoft to challenge that lead using the free tier you know today.</div> </div> <div> <br /></div> <div> <br /></div>

Xbox Music ditches free desktop streaming on December 1st

If you're hooked on Xbox Music's free desktop-based listening, you're going to have make some backup plans very shortly.  Xbo...

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