Apple unveils new iPad

Apple has unveiled a new iPad with sharper display & better features. This is the third version of the device & has the ability to connect with 4G Networks. The last version of iPad was called iPad 2 & the company has called the new version as the new iPad. The new iPad has four times as many pixels as the iPad 2 and more than some HD televisions. The new iPad has sharper display, higher processor speed & 4G network. With a slew of other tablets available in the market, Apple is leading the tablet market with improved versions released often. For the last few months, there was rumor of new iPad release & it has met the expectations of the market. The new iPad will be available from March 16 in the U.S.

Android Market to become Google Play

Google’s android market has grown tremondously since its launch. Google has also moved into areas where users can purchase books, music, renting movies & others online. Google is launching Google Play, combining the andorid market, books, movies & music. On the Android phone & tablet, the Android Market app will be upgraded to the Google Play Store app. This provides a great platform for Google to reach into other markets & also provides a platform to compete against Apple iTunes. Books, Music and Videos apps will become Play Books, Play Music and Play Movies, while the Android Market will become Play Store. Google Play is entirely cloud based so the music, movies, books & apps are stored online. 7 Days to Play sale campaign where Google is offering a different album, book, video rental & Android app at a special price each day for the next week.

2012 Most Desired Brands in the U.S.

Buyology has released the 2012 Most Desired brands in the US. Buyology uses its proprietary technology to measure the brands. Men & women have different desired list of brands. This list has been released by Buyology & uSamp. Companies are spending millions of dollars on advertising & Marketing activities to create relationship with the brands. With the advent of social media, consumers are expressing their opinion about the brands. 220 diverse brands were evaluated with 4000 subjects. Southwest Airlines ranked #1 for both men & women. The list can be found at their website.

Top Branded Facebook Fan Pages

Facebook with millions of members provides a great way for companies to create fan pages. Several top brands have their fan pages on Facebook & where members can post on walls, discuss & post photos/videos. Currently facebook has the highest no. of fans at 60,950,064. Some of the other top branded pages are youtube, Coca-cola, Disney & MTV. Companies are also launching campaigns on their Facebook fan pages. Fans are taking to fan page to air their feedback about the product/service & this is also helping companies to better connect with the customers. Companies are also announcing new updates on the wall & this is being shared & liked by fans.

Ferris Bueller Commercial – 2012 Honda CR-V

Netflix price increase & the role of social media

Netflix price increase has had the social media, blogosphere up in arms against it. Dear netflix had become a trnding topic in twitter & the netflix blog on which it was announced has 5000 comments. Netflix Facebook page has more than 50000 comments about the increase. Such is the power of facebook & social media. Consumers are ranting angry comments about the hike. Netflix which has a great following has made a negetive move with the price hike & the angry comments of the users.

In other news,
Spotify is making its US debut
Google+ is making waves across the globe

Why should Brands Care about their Online Presence?

The infographic gives an idea of what happens on the net in 60 seconds. From Facebook Posts to youtube videos, users are creating vast amount of content, pics, videos on the net. They are talking about the services, brands, products & others influencing their visibility. Brands should have clear online strategy to increase their online presence & interact with the customers to develop rapport.


Infographic by- Shanghai Web Designers

Google to retire Google Health & Powermeter

Google has decided to retire two of its services, Google health & powermeter. Google came up with these to help organize the information & make better decisions. Google health will be available till Jan 1′ 2012 & thereafter 1 year to download the information. These 2 sites failed to get the interest of the public. Powermeter will close on Sep 16, 2011. With PowerMeter, Google had hoped to raise the awarness about the energy consumption & better energy savings. Google health was introduced in 2008.

Microsoft to Buy Skype

Microsoft will acquire Skype for $8.5 billion. This will help microsoft move into both consumer & enterprise video and voice communications. Both google & facebook were also in the race to acquire Skype. Skype has 170 million connected users. Skype will support Microsoft devices like Xbox and Kinect & many windows devices. This has become a top topic in the blogosphere. This will help microsoft to move into new market areas & also to fight competation against facebook, apple, google & others. This is the largest MS deal.

Staples: Wow! That’s a Low Price! – Absolute Worst Advt in America

Staples’ “Wow! That’s a Low Price!” has earned the dubious distinction of Absolute Worst Advt in America in a poll conducted by the Consumerist. This ad has garnered a high percentage of negative comments in most of the forums, blogs, discussion groups & others. The guy yelling makes one to mute the TV. Companies should do a user testing before launching the Ad. Even though the ad conveys the message of low prices, the way it is shown gives a bad impression for the consumers about the ad.