In the face of new competition from Google Drive, file sharing and cloud hosting service Dropbox has announced new mobile and Web updates.
According to a Dropbox forum post and a follow-up developers announcement, Public folders will be phased out in favor of a new quick-link sharing feature.
“In April, we launched the ability to share any file or folder in your Dropbox with a simple link. This new sharing mechanism is a more generalized, scalable way to support many of the same use cases as the Public folder,” explains Dropbox. “After July 31, we will no longer create Public folders in any new Dropbox accounts.”
Initial response on the developer forum has been largely negative. The post notes that the new sharing feature adds a step on both ends of the folder sharing process.
“Power users who have virtually turned Dropbox into a server on their own system are naturally frustrated by the choice, but the casual or light Dropbox file and folder sharers out there likely won’t be very affected by the change,” suggests Digital Trends. “Dropbox is doing this because it’s a more scalable solution on its end — which is something worth considering, given that it has 50+ million users.”
On the mobile front, the latest Dropbox iOS app now has automatic photo and video upload capability over Wi-Fi and cellular. Additionally, users who give Dropbox permission to auto-log their camera rolls will be rewarded with 3GB of extra storage.
According to “a person familiar with the matter,” Microsoft plans to purchase enterprise social networking company Yammer for $1.2 billion, reports the Wall Street Journal.
“San Francisco-based Yammer is sort of like Facebook for companies: employees can post, share, and discuss items,” explains CNET. “It’s become an integral tool for many start-ups, but it’s also big among larger businesses. More than 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies use Yammer. If Microsoft buys Yammer, the move could help the tech titan modernize with social-enterprise tools.”
In addition to expanding its corporate information technology efforts, the deal could potentially help Microsoft compete against companies such as Google by strengthening its cloud computing offerings. It could also result in new social features for Microsoft Office.
Yammer was launched in 2008 and is one of a number of emerging companies — including Box, Jive Software and Basecamp — that are looking for creative and efficient ways to change how people approach workplace communication and collaborative projects.
“There is absolutely a next generation of enterprise technologies emerging, and it’s going to be the foundation of how companies work five or 10 years from now,” said Aaron Levie, co-founder and chief executive of online file-sharing start-up Box, Inc.
Last week on the YouTube blog, Google software engineer Ullas Gargi revealed a new social video feature to Google+ Hangouts.
“A new application within Hangouts allows Google+ users to queue up YouTube videos and allow everyone in the Hangout session to watch the video at the same time,” reports Digital Trends. “Friends can watch reactions and everyone can provide commentary about the video while it’s playing.”
The application also enables members of the session to queue additional videos and “save a playlist to share with friends that don’t have a Google+ profile as of yet.”
Users can activate the feature in Hangouts by simply loading the YouTube app at the top of the screen.
“The concept for a shared experience is somewhat similar to Turntable.fm, a music service that allows members of a particular room to queue up music and become a virtual DJ,” notes the post.
“It’s like your own VIP table at the world’s coolest YouTube party,” suggests Gargi of the new application.
Young consumers are watching less live television. As a result, networks are searching for ways to reach these audiences on smartphones, laptops and tablets.
Some cable channels are introducing shorter episodes to attract young viewers easily distracted by multiple devices and online content. Some are tracking social media conversations about shows — “in some cases even changing plot lines to suit audience tastes,” notes the Los Angeles Times.
“America’s 67 million baby boomers once commanded advertisers’ attention because of their spending power and sheer number,” notes the article. “But the prized demographic is now the millennial generation: the 98 million people ages 7 to 29. These digital natives represent nearly one-third of the U.S. population, and they’re proving an elusive target for networks and advertisers to reach.”
Millennials aren’t channel surfing from their couches. Instead, they’re accessing a variety of media on multiple devices, and watching much of their television via DVRs and game consoles or other connected devices.
The CW has been addressing young viewers’ fickle habits by offering shows online hours after an episode’s TV airing. With a new mobile app, viewers can also access shows via iPhones, iPads and Android and Kindle devices. Nickelodeon and rival Cartoon Network have developed shows around characters that initially earned a following online.
Social viewing with discussions on Twitter and Facebook have also become increasingly important to young viewers, while complementary online content such as behind-the-scenes insights and video highlights is growing in popularity.
The article features an infographic that provides interesting statistics regarding the habits of millennials who are turning away from traditional TV while embracing the Internet.
Skype has introduced a new advertising model for its Windows version, called Conversation Ads, which will be displayed within the app during one-on-one audio calls.
These ads will only appear for users who do not have a paid Skype subscription.
According to the Skype blog: “While on a 1:1 audio call, users will see content that could spark additional topics of conversation that are relevant to Skype users and highlight unique and local brand experiences. So, you should think of Conversation Ads as a way for Skype to generate fun interactivity between your circle of friends and family and the brands you care about. Ultimately, we believe this will help make Skype a more engaging and useful place to have your conversations each and every day.”
“The company says that the ads will be ‘silent’ and ‘non-expanding’ and, unsurprisingly, Skype is attempting to spin the news as a positive for users, saying that the ads ‘could spark additional topics of conversation that are relevant to Skype users and highlight unique and local brand experiences,'” reports The Verge.
Editor-in-chief of Gamerlive.tv John Gaudiosi writes that in the wake of Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo all showcasing multiscreen experiences at E3, it is now more apparent than ever that software companies must take advantage of multiscreen gaming if they wish to succeed in the future.
Consumers are increasingly accessing games via consoles, PCs, tablets and smartphones. “According to new research from Newzoo, 22 percent of the 153 million gamers in the U.S. utilize all four screens,” writes Gaudiosi for CNN.
“Mobile devices will be the center of this convergence revolution,” suggests Kyu C. Lee, VP and head of mobile game publisher GAMEVIL USA. “Smartphones, tablets and smart TVs are the first devices that the new generation will adopt rather than old PCs or gaming consoles.”
President of GameStop Tony Bartel believes tablets will be complementary to the next generation of consoles: “While we believe consoles will still dominate the living room, tablets offer gamers the ability to interact with and expand the console experience. The portability factor of tablets is also extremely appealing to gamers, allowing them to extend their TV experience outside their living rooms through the cloud.”
Tablet gamers are slightly less mobile than today’s smartphone gamers, explains Gaudiosi, since they typically play games more in the home. “They also tend to purchase apps more and are made up of so-called ‘midcore’ gamers, versus the hardcore console players or the more casual smartphone gamers,” he writes.
This fall, Microsoft will introduce “NUads” — advertisements made possible by Kinect in which viewers can interact by using their voice or hand gestures.
“Advertisers will be able to ask viewers to answer multiple-choice questions by speaking ‘yes’ or ‘no way’ out loud, or by gesturing,” reports AllThingsD. “The results will appear in real time on the screen, so subscribers can see how others are voting.”
Companies to first sign up for the NUad program include Toyota, Samsung Mobile USA and Unilever. The ads will appear on the Xbox Live dashboard and within select TV apps. At least initially, you will not see them embedded into games.
Xbox advertising has grown by 140 percent from last year. Advertisers are drawn to this demographic because it is a segment of the population that has been hard to reach.
“It’s increasingly challenging to reach these people, because they are spending so much time on our platform,” explains Ross Honey, GM of Xbox Live Entertainment and Advertising. Xbox Live users spend about three hours per day on the system. “Advertisers see that time and they know they need to connect with users there, because they aren’t anywhere else,” notes Honey.
Salar Kamangar, YouTube CEO and senior VP of Video at Google, suggests that YouTube is considering paid subscriptions for access to cable television content.
Speaking at a Reuters event Thursday night, Kamangar revealed that “YouTube is exploring the idea of charging subscriptions for cable network providers that are looking for syndication outside of traditional cable service operators,” reports Mashable. Kamangar “told Reuters that YouTube could be a venue for cable networks with small audiences that want to offer their content on an a la carte basis.”
“We don’t have anything to announce now. It is something that’s really important to a lot of our top existing content creators as well as ones that aren’t on YouTube today, so we’re taking very seriously and we’re thinking about it very carefully,” he said.
Kamangar’s comments coincide with a Department of Justice investigation into whether data limitations imposed by cable firms are affecting competition for online video.
“YouTube’s exploration of redistributing cable content also follows an ambitious $100 million program launched last fall to create its own star-studded premium channels,” notes Mashable. “In May, Google pledged it would spend another $200 million to market those channels, which do not require a subscription.”
DirecTV CEO Michael White spoke at the Reuters Global Media and Technology Summit this week and addressed the prospect of ad-skipping technology.
“According to White, DirecTV management is waiting to see the outcome of the legal battle between Dish Network and several major broadcast networks such as NBC, FOX and CBS,” reports Digital Trends. “Dependent on the court’s decision regarding legality of the technology, DirecTV could launch the ability to skip commercials soon in order to compete more effectively against Dish Network.”
DirecTV acquired ReplayTV in 2007 and would use this resource to allow users to skip commercials if this is determined to be a legal practice.
In the early 2000s, ReplayTV not only allowed users to skip commercials, but also enabled content sharing between users. For example, people could send HBO shows to other ReplayTV users who did not subscribe to HBO.
“White also mentioned that the company is working on the development of applications that allow consumers to use voice commands to replicate the actions of a simple remote control,” notes Digital Trends. “The company plans to launch this application on both the iOS and Android platforms. By design, the application will allow a consumer to change the channel by stating the name of the program.”
TVGuide.com continues its development of second screen offerings by reproducing Character Chatter, USA Network’s second screen experience, and integrating it into the TVGuide website.
“Viewers who visit TVGuide’s summer preview section can participate in real-time social conversations around USA shows like ‘Burn Notice’ and ‘Covert Affairs,’ just like they can on USANetwork.com,” reports Lost Remote.
“We’d be open to integrating everybody’s social streams,” says TVGuide.com GM Christy Tanner. “Just as the playing field is level for streaming video and full episodes that we’ve integrated, that’s the same for a social stream.”
TVGuide.com has already experienced success in the second screen space, according to Tanner. “She points out that 91 percent of TVGuide’s mobile use happens in the home, 20 percent of TVGuide.com’s Web traffic originates from mobile devices and 1.5 million users actively use the TVGuide apps every month,” notes Lost Remote.
TVGuide plans a relaunch of its mobile apps in August with new social TV features. Tanner predicts the mobile experience is “about to get a thousand times better.”
Comcast and Disney/ABC Television Group have announced that Xfinity TV subscribers will have access to the WATCH Disney Channel, WATCH Disney XD and WATCH Disney Junior collection of websites and iOS apps.
According to the press release: “The three new WATCH products are the first-ever to provide authenticated users with both access to live, linear network streams as well as an extensive offering of advantaged window ‘on demand’ episodes.”
Comcast and Disney announced a distribution deal earlier this year in which the companies agreed to deliver Disney sports, news and entertainment content to Xfinity TV subscribers on multiple devices.
“Xfinity TV customers, who subscribe to Disney Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior networks as part of their monthly video service can now stream these channels live online and via the convenience of their iOS devices,” explains the press release.
“This launch is the latest in a series of TV Everywhere initiatives we’re delivering that offer customers more choices and new ways to watch the best entertainment anytime, anywhere,” adds Matthew Strauss, senior VP, Digital and Emerging Platforms, Comcast Cable.
According to a study conducted in late March by Frank N. Magid Associates, the number of U.S. consumers accessing the Internet via their TV sets continues to rise.
The study found that 21 percent of consumers connect their TVs to the Internet, up from 16 percent a year ago. More than half of the current adopters are between 18-44 years of age.
The research, part of the Magid Media Futures 2012 study, expects the percentage to increase dramatically in the next year since 30 percent of respondents expressed interest in connecting their TVs to the Internet.
Connected TVs are commonly being used to surf the Web, play online games, view videos through subscription services, and visit online social networks.
“Game consoles (e.g. Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360) are the primary means of connecting to the Internet via TV, followed by smart TVs, Blu-ray players, and over the top devices (e.g. Roku, Apple TV, Google TV),” notes Advanced Television.
DVR-maker TiVo has struck a deal with PayPal to integrate the payment service into television advertisements for a new instant purchase system.
“TiVo is going to make it super simple to buy from adverts instantly by requiring a one-time account setup in order to use PayPal,” reports Geek.com. “After that, it looks like you can just tap a button or two on your remote and the product is paid for — no entering your login details each time you buy.”
“PayPal is happy to be on board with this as they will get a cut of every payment made,” adds the post. “TiVo should also benefit by negotiating a similar cut of the profits, but also by offering advertisers another way to get consumers to part with their cash (instantly).”
Participating advertisers will need to produce commercials that highlight the ability to make instant purchases. Geek.com notes that it will be interesting to see what type of products may benefit from such a model. It also warns that safeguards will need to be put in place to prevent children from purchasing every toy they see on TV.
Facebook has expanded its WordPress connectivity by introducing one-click auto-publishing to share blog posts as links on Facebook. Users can also configure settings to auto-share everything they read.
The connectivity is significant because it allows Web authors to connect to Facebook without writing any code. According to TechCrunch, WordPress “powers 16.6 percent of the Web.”
New features also include integration with Facebook Timeline, Comments, Open Graph Protocol and more.
“Facebook’s Like button was a huge success from both a branding standpoint, and for getting people sharing more, but it still required webmasters to configure and insert code,” notes the post. “Considering Facebook said over a year ago that 2.5 million sites had integrated with it, making it even easier to build in social options could definitely boost its footprint”
Earlier this week, ETCentric reported that cord cutters might find Netgear’s new $70 NeoTV Pro of interest — the first media streamer to feature Intel’s WiDi technology.
In related news, D-Link has announced the next version of its MovieNite streaming media player, expected to ship in July for $80.
“MovieNite Plus will source content from up to 130 different channels and play it back in 1080p resolution (when available),” reports Digital Trends.
The new player will offer streaming content from the likes of Vudu, Netflix, Pandora, YouTube, Picasa, Flickr, Crackle, Facebook and Twitter.
Hulu Plus is expected to be included at a later date, while the post suggests “Amazon Instant Video does not appear to be on the roster for the moment.”
“It remains to be seen if the MovieNite Plus has enough going for it to lure away would-be Roku customers,” notes Digital Trends. “The Roku, for now, still offers access to more desirable content and it can play games, to boot.”
In the face of new competition from Google Drive, file sharing and cloud hosting service Dropbox has announced new mobile and Web updates.
