Just how leery is the American public when it comes to information they read online?
A new study from Harris Interactive found that 98 percent of Americans do not trust information located on the Internet.
According to the survey of 1,900 respondents, 94 percent believe “bad things can happen as a result of acting on inaccurate information online.”
The top reasons for distrusting online content: too many ads (59 percent), outdated information (56 percent), self-promotional information (53 percent) and unfamiliar forums (45 percent).
“The 94 percent who worried that ‘bad things’ could happen were mostly concerned about wasting their time (67 percent),” notes Mashable. “Other fears included getting a computer virus (63 percent), losing money (51 percent), risk of fraud (51 percent) and damaging their credibility (36 percent).”
Consulting firm Capgemini reports that brick-and-mortar stores are finally realizing the importance of customer relationship management. A new study found that more than half of shoppers believe physical stores will serve solely as showrooms by 2020.
“According to the report, which was based on interviews with 16,000 consumers from 16 countries, 51 percent of respondents said that, in the next eight years, they expect retail locations to be showrooms for selecting and ordering products,” reports GigaOM. “In developing markets, the study said the percentages were higher but that at least one third of the respondents in more developed markets agreed with the assessment.”
In recent months, it has become clear that cost-conscious shoppers are leaning toward the “showrooming” trend — checking out new products in a store, but then making their purchases online where better deals and price comparisons are clicks away.
The growth of online shopping sites, mobile phones and shopping apps have led to new options for smart shoppers. “As more consumers reference their mobile phones in-store (52 percent according to a recent Pew study), many are realizing that they can find better prices or deals elsewhere, often online,” notes the post.
Some retailers are fighting the trend with new initiatives intended to keep customers happy. Retailers such as Walmart, Macy’s and Sears are increasing customer support with the implementation of payment booths, drive-through customer service centers, pickup locations and other services that blend online and offline.
Best Buy recently announced it will redesign its stores to become more Apple-like, including new features such as a product support center (similar to Apple’s Genius Bar) and the ability to pay from the floor rather than standing in line at the register.
“As the Capgemini report found, the digital shopper isn’t just digital and expects to be served seamlessly across all channels, physical and digital,” concludes GigaOM. “That goes for Amazon shoppers, too.”
According to a Harris Interactive survey, 44 percent of U.S. adults (18 to 44) plan to use at least two personal devices to follow the 2012 summer Olympic games.
About 14 percent say they plan to use three or more devices. Additionally, roughly one-third of those surveyed 55 and older will follow coverage on two or more devices.
“Audiences are taking advantage of the proliferation of tablet computers and handsets that surf the Web to complement their experience of televised sports and other programming,” reports Businessweek. “That is influencing how companies tailor the marketing messages as more consumers use social-media tools such as Facebook and Twitter to interact while they watch.”
Organizers are anticipating that as many as 4 billion people around the world will watch the London Olympics and Paralympic Games on TV.
“This survey reveals that a significant number of Americans are choosing to get their Olympic updates on the go, and while doing so, they’re overwhelmingly turning to mobile browsers,” says Krishna Subramanian of mobile marketing tech provider Velti.
The summer Olympics coverage is scheduled to begin Friday, July 27.
According to a study from Harris Interactive, Netflix and Google-owned YouTube are the leading “must-have” streaming-video apps among smart TV owners and also among those who don’t own an Internet-connected television.
The next most popular apps are Amazon Instant Video, Facebook and Pandora.
“The Harris Poll of 2,634 U.S. adults also found that about three-quarters of non-smart TV owners said they aren’t that familiar (39 percent) or not at all familiar (33 percent) with smart TVs or Internet-connected TVs,” notes Home Media Magazine.
Harris indicates that only 7 percent of those unfamiliar with smart TVs are considering to purchase a new set in the next year, whereas 29 percent of non-smart TV owners who are familiar with the device are likely to make a new purchase.
“As the TV becomes a more overall entertainment device, it is only a matter of time before we see the mainstream use of additional content apps, such as Facebook, being used on the TV,” suggests Manny Flores, SVP at Harris Interactive.
“Yet, manufacturers and retailers evidently have to do a much better job of educating their consumers on what a smart TV is and the benefits of a smart TV experience,” adds Flores. “Increased familiarity appears to be the key to driving purchase consideration.”
Last week, ETCentric reported on the Ptch mobile app from DreamWorks Animation that enables users to create multimedia compositions and share them through social networks. This week we have a similar tool that leverages multiple “producers” based on their proximity to each other.
Vyclone is a new “social video creation, collaboration, and sharing app for the iPhone and iPod touch,” reports Mashable.
The free app enables multiple users within physical proximity of each other to create a collaborative video with multiple angles. Vyclone can even be used by others shooting iPhone videos who do not know each other or may not be aware the other people are recording video.
“Vyclone uses the GPS in your iPhone to determine your location,” notes the post. “If you’re recording a video with the app at the same time and place as another person, then the app will automatically edit together your two videos into one ultimate video mix. Bring four people together in the same spot and Vycone will combine all four video streams into a single synchronized mix.”
Completed videos can be shared with just the people you’ve linked to on Vyclone or everyone. They can also be shared on Facebook and Twitter.
The Vyclone site features sample videos created by early users.
At the Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference in Aspen last week, panels addressed the future of entertainment.
“Neil Smit, president of Comcast Cable and Anne Sweeney, president of Disney/ABC Television Group talked about how the two organizations agree on a strategy for ‘TV Everywhere,’ letting Comcast subscribers receive Disney content on any device,” reports PC Magazine. “Most interestingly, it is a ten-year deal, even though technology may change a lot over that time.”
Smit pointed out that Comcast is working to make identification and authentication easier for consumers.
“As TV is now available on more platforms, the ratings have gone down but overall TV-watching is up,” explains the article. “Including video on demand does change how the content is viewed and this is impacting scheduling, Sweeney said.”
NBA commissioner David Stern and Turner Broadcasting CEO Phil Kent discussed how live sports and social media are evolving.
“Social media has been a big part of fan engagement for the NBA, Stern said. The personalities in the league have led to enormous interest and social media has given the opportunity for the community to be more interactive.”
Stern said that the NBA retains the rights to its games, but that in general, social media involving fan videos on YouTube is still great for the game. Kent added that anything driving fan engagement leads to increased viewership.
In a related Brainstorm Tech post from Fortune, Jason Hirschhorn, CEO of ReDEF Group, moderates a panel on TV Everywhere and the future of video across multiple platforms. The 58-minute video features Courtney Holt of Maker Studios, Alan Patricof of Greycroft Partners, David Rhodes of CBS News, Eric Solomon of Nielsen and Anthony Wood of Roku.
DirecTV and Viacom reached a new long-term carriage agreement on Friday to restore Viacom-owned channels to subscribers of the satellite TV provider.
As previously reported, the channels (including MTV, Comedy Central, BET and Nickelodeon) had been unavailable to DirecTV’s 20 million customers since July 10.
“Financial and other terms weren’t disclosed, but sources said the deal will run for seven years,” notes The Hollywood Reporter. “DirecTV will carry all 26 Viacom channels, or 17 when excluding HD feeds, but said it is not required to carry Epix, the premium TV joint venture of Viacom, Lionsgate and MGM.”
“In addition to the channels’ return, DirecTV customers will also gain the ability to see Viacom programming on tablets, laptops, handhelds and other personal devices via the DirecTV Everywhere platform,” according to the satellite TV company.
“The attention surrounding this unnecessary and ill-advised blackout by Viacom has accomplished one key thing: It serves notice to all media companies that bullying TV providers and their customers with blackouts won’t get them a better deal,” said Derek Chang, executive vp of content strategy and development for DirecTV. “It’s high time programmers ended these anti-consumer blackouts once and for all and prove our industry is about enabling people to connect to their favorite programs rather than denying them access.”
Sony has announced its new Walkman F800 music player, an Android-powered challenger to Apple’s iPod touch.
“Announced alongside several more basic Walkman music players, the F800 takes some of the Xperia smartphone range’s style, throws out the phone functionality, and concentrates on audio prowess instead,” reports Digital Trends.
The F800 features a 3.5-inch screen, Tegra 2 dual-core processor, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, a pre-installed maps app, and direct access to the Google Play Store. It supports a variety of audio and video codecs including MP3, WMA, HE-AAC, PCM, MPEG4, AVC, WMV and FLAC.
“Sony has packed in its S-Master MX Digital amplifier, Clear Audio technology and the little device has an X-Loud speaker system too,” notes the post.
The new player uses Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which should give it an edge over Samsung’s Galaxy Player 3.6 that still uses Android 2.3 Gingerbread.
“On the whole, that’s a decent and somewhat original set of features for a Walkman player,” reports CNET in a related post. “Yet, at $269 (or $299, depending on the memory size) the F800 doesn’t have enough on paper to entice anyone with an existing music player to make the switch. The promised battery life (20 hours of audio playback and 4.5 hours for video) is just average, and with just 16GB and 32GB version available, Sony didn’t push the boundaries of capacity.”
Sony also unveiled the E470 player, targeting a more cost-conscious market. The E470 is Sony’s slimmest Walkman to date, and will run $79 for the 4GB model, $89 for 8GB, and $109 for the 16GB version.
DreamWorks Animation launched a new mobile app for the iPhone and iPad this week. “Ptch” is an app from the first start-up launched through DWA.
The app “allows users to easily create and share personalized multimedia compositions called ‘ptches,’ using videos, photos, and music from their own mobile devices and social feeds,” reports Forbes.
“With the ability to use media assets from Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Google+, Tumblr, Twitter, and Viddy, the platform allows you to easily move pictures and video snippets around into frames that combine into one-minute video creations,” explains the article.
Users can produce the videos with fonts, colors, graphics and music (up to 100 hit songs included in the app) to tell a story in video form. And if producers would like to share the assets that comprise their videos, other users can use them to remix new videos.
“We talk about this as what we’re calling ‘living media,’” says Ed Leonard, CEO of Ptch and former CTO of Dreamworks. “What we’re thinking about is five years from now, everything is going to be living media. You see something you like, quickly change it a bit, and share it. It’s the idea of reshaping things.”
The article includes a 2-minute promotional video and links to samples of ptches made by early users.
Exent has partnered with Verizon Wireless to bring its social gaming application GameTanium to Verizon Android devices.
GameTanium offers unlimited access to 150 mobile games for $5.99 per month per device. The offerings include 100 smartphone games and 50 tablet games.
“The GameTanium app can be downloaded from Verizon Apps on 30 Android smartphones and two Android Tablets, including Motorola’s Droid Razr, HTC’s Droid Incredible 4G LTE, and Motorola’s Droid Xyboard 8.2,” reports Digital Trends.
Similar social gaming services exist, such as Apple’s Game Center and Amazon’s GameCircle for Kindle devices, but GameTanium serves as more of a curation service.
“Exent draws upon its vast gaming experience to curate and catalog the best mobile games while working closely with our operator partners to ensure the catalog is consistent with their audience profile,” explains Exent CEO Zvi Levgoren.
GameTanium features parental ratings, customer reviews, screenshots and a helpful FAQ. Exent also offers weekday customer support via email, SMS or phone.
“For those of you avid mobile gamers on Verizon Android devices, this service will be right up your alley,” suggests the post. “For Android device owners under non-Verizon carriers, we think it’s just a matter of time before GameTanium makes its way to your service provider.”
Samsung’s 75-inch ES9000 LED Smart TV was recently unveiled for the Korean market and will be making its way to the U.S. in August.
For those with $9,999 to spend on a television, this 3D-capable, LED-backlit set is reportedly one to behold. It is currently on display in New York City as part of the Samsung-sponsored SpaceFest at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.
“The 75-incher’s bezel measures just 0.31 inches, and the frame sports a rose-gold finish,” reports Engadget. “There’s also a built-in Web camera that retracts when not in use, and the TV comes with four pairs of 3D glasses.”
“The ES9000 includes the complete suite of Samsung Smart TV features — Smart Interaction, Smart Content and Smart Evolution — that were introduced earlier this year,” notes the press release.
“Smart Interaction enables users to control and interact with their TVs in a more intuitive way through voice, gesture and face recognition controls,” according to the company. “Smart Content makes available a broad range of premium and signature content that can be shared across multiple devices.”
Additional features include Sound Share for wirelessly connecting audio via Bluetooth, a dual-core processor that provides speed for accessing apps or browsing the Web, and the highest contrast ratio on a Samsung Smart TV to date.
Microsoft has unveiled an overhaul of its popular Office software and a new version of its cloud-based suite, Office 365. Users will now have the option of performing work through a browser, rather than installing software on their PCs.
Many of the features are tied to online collaboration and integration with touchscreen-friendly Windows 8.
“Your modern Office thinks cloud first. That’s what it means to have Office as a service,” explained CEO Steve Ballmer at a Microsoft event in San Francisco this week.
The company explains that Office will automatically save and store files on its online storage service SkyDrive, enabling users to synch across multiple mobile devices and PCs.
Initial SkyDrive storage will range from 7-20 gigabytes, depending on whether users opt for the subscription service (7 comes standard for new customers, 20 available with sub). Customers can use Office on up to five PCs or mobile devices.
“The launch is the latest sign of a cultural shift at Microsoft, as Web-based software and mobile devices undermine the strategic importance of PCs and programs installed on them,” reports the Wall Street Journal. “Rival Google Inc., in particular, has increased pressure on the company with free, Web-based offerings such as Google Docs and Gmail. Apple Inc.’s iPad is also drawing more consumers away from PCs.”
Purchase or subscription pricing has not been announced. The trial version of Office 2013 is available starting Monday.
Barnes & Noble has announced Nook for Web, a service that “gives readers access to books in any of the major browsers without requiring a Nook account, though you’ll need one to make purchases or save books in your library,” according to The Verge.
Both Amazon and Google already offer Web-based e-book access, so in a sense Barnes & Noble is playing catch up.
With Nook for Web, users can access free sample books or read a chapter from any e-book prior to purchase. Additional related information is available while reading the books, and recommendations can be personalized in the Shop window.
“Customize the reading experience using the intuitive navigation bar,” explains the press release. “Choose between 8 fonts and 8 font sizes and a single or double page layout. Simply collapse the navigation bar once preferences are selected to reveal a clean, easy-to-read page.”
Nook for Web also allows users to review and comment on books “via Twitter, Facebook or e-mail without even leaving the book,” notes the release.
Barnes & Noble has not worked out tablet compatibility with the service, but that may be coming soon.
Users are more satisfied with Google+ than with Facebook, according to new numbers released from the American Customer Satisfaction Index this week.
“Facebook is the Web’s most popular site with hundreds of millions of users, but people still don’t like it,” suggests CNET. “Now Google+, which has been dubbed by some as a ghost town, is gaining some traction with a higher customer satisfaction rating.”
Facebook’s frequent interface changes (such as Timeline) and privacy concerns were cited as problems for users who rated it the lowest among all social media sites, with a score of 61 out of 100 (its score last year was 66).
Google+ topped all social sites with a 78 rating, placing it on the same level of customer satisfaction as Wikipedia and just above YouTube and Pinterest.
“According to the report, Google+ does well because it doesn’t have traditional advertising, has more focus on privacy, and provides a better mobile experience,” adds the post.
However, Google+ has much fewer users and Facebook’s daily traffic has been bouncing back after its recent decline.
“Still, it’s got to hurt Mark Zuckerberg’s ego a bit to see another low rating, considering that company’s mantra is about making users happy over advertisers,” comments CNET.
Doug Morris, Vevo founder and current chief exec of Sony Music Entertainment, says he will pull Vevo’s music videos from Google’s YouTube if he can’t get a better deal when their contract expires at the end of the year.
“That’s a serious threat given that Vevo — which features videos of Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Rihanna and about 11,000 other artists — is YouTube’s most popular channel, according to ComScore Inc. In May, Vevo’s videos generated 617.8 million views on the site, which Google acquired in 2006 for $1.65 billion,” reports the Los Angeles Times.
The article cites Facebook, Microsoft, Apple and Amazon as companies that would be interested in taking Vevo’s business from YouTube.
“YouTube has been good partners. They’re just extracting too much money for the enterprise to work properly,” explains Morris. “The videos are expensive to produce. And there are many mouths to feed on our end. You have to pay the artist, the record companies, the publishers.”
“For its major video contributors, YouTube keeps 30 to 50 percent of the net advertising revenue, after a 10 percent sales commission is paid,” notes the article. “Morris would not specify Vevo’s cut with YouTube.”
However, Morris is quick to point out what he believes drives viewers: “If Justin Bieber and Adele are somewhere else, that will be where people will go. If you don’t have the content, no one will come.”
