28% of US smartphone owners use them as primary 'Net connection - Ars Technica

Just over a third of American adults own a smartphone of some kind, with many preferring to use it as their primary connection to the Internet. That's according to a report from the Pew Internet Project, which the organization says is its first standalone measure of smartphone ownership and usage in the US.

Pew surveyed 2,277 US adults between April and May of this year and found that 83 percent have some kind of cell phone. From that group, 42 percent reported owning smartphones, evening out to 35 percent of all adults surveyed. The demographics of that group are hardly surprising, either: smartphones tend to be the most popular among those with a college degree and the financially "well off," and the highest rate of ownership is among those under the age of 45.

Here's another shocker: nearly half of those who are employed full time have a smartphone, while just over a quarter of those who are not employed have one. (Feeling chained to work, anyone?) Smartphone owners are also more likely than "regular" cell owners and the general population to own laptops, music players, desktop computers, tablets, and e-book readers.

What is somewhat unexpected is the fact that there's a not-insignificant percentage of survey respondents who use their devices as the primary way to get online. According to Pew, 28 percent of smartphone owners access the Internet this way most of the time, which amounts to 10 percent of all cell owners or 8 percent of all adults in the US. Mobile-only access to the Internet is nothing new in other parts of the world, but the growing availability of smartphones and the continued difficulty of getting broadband access in low-income or rural areas is undoubtedly feeding this trend in the US.

"Smartphone owners under the age of 30, non-white smartphone users, and smartphone owners with relatively low income and education levels are particularly likely to say that they mostly go online using their phones," wrote Pew, which says that nearly a third of the "mostly cell" group lacks any kind of traditional broadband Internet access. Still, the organization points out that even among those who use their smartphone as the main source of Internet access, laptop and desktop ownership is very prevalent, indicating that they're not always going online from their phones out of necessity.

Finally, no report on smartphone adoption would be complete without some market share statistics. Pew says that 15 percent of all cell owners (35 percent of smartphone owners) reported that they own an Android device. Apple and RIM are tied at 10 percent each of all cell owners (24 percent of smartphone owners), while Microsoft and Palm both claimed two percent of all cell owners, respectively.

With Android's meteoric rise in popularity throughout 2010, we can't say we're surprised to see these numbers, though Nielsen recently reported that iPhone sales were beginning to climb again at the beginning of this year. Pew does point out some demographic differences in ownership, however. More than a quarter of African-American cell owners own an Android device—roughly twice the rate for Caucasian and Latino users. And ownership of BlackBerry and iPhones are particularly high among those with the highest level of education and incomes: these people are three to four times more likely to own a BlackBerry or iPhone than those of lower income or education levels. Additionally, those who live in urban or suburban environments are twice as likely to own an iPhone compared to rural users.

Cisco recently predicted that there will be 788 million mobile-only Internet users globally by 2015 while mobile data traffic will increase by a factor of 26 between now and then. With one in 10 cell phone owners in the US already using the Internet this way, those numbers are sure to climb as smartphones become more common among regular consumers. After all, they may eventually find that they don't necessarily need a home computer anymore, as long as they can check e-mail and Facebook on their iPhone or Android device.

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Google acquires QR code-based loyalty card startup Punchd - ZDNet (blog)

Late last week, reports were circulating that Google had snapped up smartphone-based loyalty card developer Punchd - but the company’s Twitter account flatly denied that it had been bought. Today, though, Google’s acquisition of Punchd is official.

The way Punchd works is simple: every time you buy something from a participating store that’s part of a customer loyalty program - like buy five cups of coffee, get one free - you get to scan a QR code behind the counter. The Punchd app keeps track of how many times you’ve gotten your virtual punchcard alerts the user when they get their freebie.

We don’t know how much Google paid to acquire Punchd and its six employees. But it’s easy to see where it fits into Google’s overall strategy. Groupon competitor Google Offers is going live soon, representing the search giant’s play for the local commerce market. And if Google can come up with a smart integration, Punchd could complement the upcoming Google Wallet NFC payment system.

Of course, there’s another possibility: As GigaOM notes, Punchd’s team consists of some savvy Android software engineers, and this could just as easily be a talent grab. But I have a hunch that Punchd’s technology is going to wind up as part of Google’s local commerce products.

Matthew has written about consumer and personal technology for The New York Daily News and comic book culture for ComicMix.com.

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Bethel Honors Student Receives Award for Paper - Bethel University News

July 11, 2011 | 11:59 a.m.

Matisse Murray's paper, “Carbon v. Silicon: The Question Regarding Android Rights,” received third place in the Templeton Technology and Religion Project contest at Wartburg College.

What makes human beings special? If the human mind is basically a computer, why do we have inherent rights? If robots were created that could think and feel, how would humans treat them?

These questions intrigued Matisse Murray, a junior in Bethel’s Honors Program, so much so that she wrote an in-depth paper on the subject for her honors course Issues in Science, Technology, and Society. She entered the paper titled “Carbon v. Silicon: The Question Regarding Android Rights” in the Templeton Technology and Religion Project contest at Wartburg College, and placed third, winning a cash prize of $250 this past June. The Templeton Technology and Religion Project was founded in 2010 to “fund discussion and research about the relationship and interaction between technology and religion.”

The curriculum of the honors course focused on computers, technology, and how they intersect with ethics and religion. Murray’s paper topic was sparked by a Star Trek clip shown by Professor Eric Gossett in which an android, or robot with human qualities, was on trial and its rights were in dispute.

“It was probably one of the most provocative things we talked about in the class,” Murray said. “If human beings were ever to be able to have access to technology so that we could create robots with the capacity for interpersonal relations and morality, would we be obligated to render unto them the same rights that we give a human being?” She concluded that only through a Christian worldview could humans be seen as having more rights than androids.

Bethel’s Honors Program provides highly motivated students with the opportunity to take four general education classes with a cohort. Murray notes that the honors courses’ “topics require a bit more thought...it’s more about depth rather than breadth.” Gossett agrees: “[The honors students] have a chance to push harder at ideas, to come out of the course with a greater depth of understanding.”

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Rick Steves' Popular Audio Europe App Now Available for Android - PR Web (press release)

Edmonds, WA (PRWEB) July 10, 2011

Rick Steves, the European Travel Expert, announces the release of his popular free app, RICK STEVES’ AUDIO EUROPE, for Android. Like the already successful Apple iOS version (over 45,000 downloads to date), the Android app is designed to help heighten traveler’s sightseeing experience. It organizes Steves’ vast library of audio files – 29 audio walking tours of Europe’s top sights plus over 200 tracks of travel tips and cultural insights from his radio shows – into geographic-specific playlists covering all of Europe. Interested travelers can learn more at http://www.ricksteves.com/audioeurope or go directly to the Android Market.

For the past few years, ‘Rick Steves’ Audio Walking Tours’ for Europe’s top sights and museums have been a big hit, with more than 4 million downloads. And podcasts of his ‘Travel with Rick Steves’ public radio show have reached an even broader audience online than through broadcast. RICK STEVES’ AUDIO EUROPE organizes this audio library so travelers can enjoy ready access to the information that relates specifically to their travel plans.

At the heart of this app is Rick Steves’ series of 29 self-guided audio tours through Europe’s most important museums, sights and historic walks. In London, Paris, Venice, Florence, Rome, and Athens Rick’s voice will keep travelers’ eyes focused on the wonders that surround them — not buried in a guidebook.

“This app thrills the tour guide in me,” explains Steves. “The combination of hearing about the art as you see it heightens your ability to really appreciate it. It all sinks in more deeply and fluidly than the disconnectedness of the experience when your eyes jump back and forth from book to masterpiece, again and again. It frees you up to maximize your focus and be in the artistic moment.”

RICK STEVES’ AUDIO EUROPE is designed to be used at home or on the road. Travelers always encounter downtime (riding on trains, for example), so, unlike most travel apps on the market, it also works offline. Once a user downloads their selection of files, they are saved on the device and a connection is not needed to listen. This will save travelers the cost of pricey European data charges and the hassle of finding a good WiFi connection.

RICK STEVES’ AUDIO EUROPE was created in partnership with Seattle-based company, Treemo Labs, and applies digital techniques that take full advantage of the technology. "The end result is a very sophisticated custom audio file download system," explains Brent Brookler, Founder and CEO. "This new technology is unique in the market because users can download and play not only audio files, but guided audio tours segmented by chapters with photos." He continues, "I think we are most proud of the simple and intuitive interface. It is extremely easy to use."

This free app will save travelers hundreds of dollars in guided tour expenses and its public radio content will make sightseeing both more fun and meaningful. Handy PDF maps that complement the app’s audio tours can be viewed on the device or printed from any computer. A work in progress, users can look forward to regular updates.

Learn more by watching this video or by visiting http://www.ricksteves.com/audioeurope. For more information or press opportunities with Rick Steves or his staff, please contact Ashley Sytsma at ashley(at)ricksteves(dot)com or 425-608-4293.

About Rick Steves
Steves (http://www.ricksteves.com) grew up in Edmonds, Wash. and studied at the University of Washington where he received degrees in business and European history. But his real education came from his travels — since 1973 he has spent 120 days a year in Europe. Today he employs 90 people at his Europe Through the Back Door headquarters where he produces over 50 guidebooks on European travel, the most popular travel series in America on public television, a weekly hour-long national public radio show and a weekly column syndicated by the Chicago Tribune. He also runs a successful European tour program with more than 400 departures — attracting around 10,000 travelers — annually. Steves’ mission is to inspire, inform and equip Americans to have European trips that are fun, affordable and culturally broadening. He values travel as a powerful way to better understand and contribute to the world. Steves lives and works in his hometown of Edmonds, Wash. His office window overlooks his old junior high school.

About Treemo Labs
Seattle-based Treemo Labs (http://www.treemolabs.com) provides the most extensive Apps publishing platform with integrated social media, social networking, location services, gaming, commerce and content management tools. Treemo Labs works with some of the biggest brands in world including 60 Minutes, CBS News, CNET, Survivor, TheSource, Rick Steves and more.

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Apple iPad's rivals have difficulty finding market acceptance - International Business Times AU

Amid the tablet craze brought by Apple Inc.'s iPad, we now have more offerings in the market: BlackBerry maker Research In Motion's PlayBook, Apple nemesis Samsung Electronics Inc.'s Galaxy Tab, Netbook pioneer Asus' Eee Pad and Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc.'s Xoom have tried to be the iPad killer, but these iPad wannabes have barely made a dent in the market.  Joining the tablets on shelves this month are top desktop vendor Hewlett Packard's Wi-Fi version of HP TouchPad ($500 for the 16 GB unit) and Internet protocol-based networking provider Cisco Systems Inc.'s Cisco Cius ($750).  Amazon will also reportedly launch a tablet PC in the third quarter.

But according to research firms and analysts, Apple's iPad has continued to dominate the market this year and will continue to be the top tablet in the coming years.

Market acceptance

Research firm International Data Corp. said Friday that Apple's iPad and the recently introduced iPad 2 continue to dominate the media tablet market, as other vendors have had a more difficult time finding market acceptance for their products.

Mobile phone vendors, such as Samsung and Motorola, who have focused their distribution through the telco carriers, found moderate success with their media tablets, but sales were largely stymied by many consumers' unwillingness to sign up for the 3G/4G data plans that the carriers typically require along with these devices.  As an operating system, Android-based devices grew to 34% of the global total in the first quarter, a share increase of 8.2 points over the previous quarter.

IDC has raised its worldwide shipment forecast for 2011 to 53.5 million units from a previous projection of 50.4 million units.

According to market researcher ComScore Inc., Apple's iPad accounted for 89 percent of worldwide tablet traffic on the Internet in May, besting Android-based tablets and other tablets.

ComScore said late last month that in Australia, iPads accounted for 98% of the total tablet traffic in May.  Apple's iPhone accounted for 50.0% of Internet traffic for non-computer devices (tablets and smartphones).

 Dominance to continue

eWeek.com reported that in a July 7 research note issued by Canaccord Genuity, analyst T. Michael Walkley and his co-authors suggested that the iPad 2's price point is making it difficult for rival tablets to compete in a profitable way.  "Our checks indicate both the Motorola Xoom and RIM PlayBook have not sold well at current price points, as we believe competing tablets must sell at a substantial discount to the iPad 2," they wrote.

According to eWeek, the Canaccord analysts estimate Apple's share of the global tablet market at 56 percent in 2011, Samsung far second with 12 percent, and Asus with 5 percent.  LG Electronics, Motorola and Research In Motion are all given 3 percent of the market, followed by HTC with 2 percent.  Although Amazon.com has yet to release a tablet, the note pegs their 2011 share at 5 percent.  Nor do those percentages change much for 2012, although Apple loses 5 percent of its overall share to rival manufacturers.
Cupertino, California-based Apple has already sold more than 20 million units of the iPad tablet since its April 2010 debut.

The iPad2, which was released by Apple in March, features a 9.7-inch touch screen, Apple-A5 dual core processor (2 times faster than iPad's processor), Imagination's SGX543 dual core graphics technology, 16GB, 32GB and 64GB of storage, front facing VGA video camera and a 0.7 megapixel still camera at the back, HDMI Support, and an iOS 4.3.3 operating system.  More than available 100,000 applications optimized for the iPad are available for downloading from the App Store, in addition to the 200,000 iPhone apps that can be used for the tablet.

Reports have indicated that, to further boost Apple's sales, Apple will be launching an iPad HD or the iPad 2 Plus this September. The new tablet will double the resolution of the iPad 2.  The new tablet will also be loaded with new software, including the Aperture or Final Cut Pro designed for the iPad.  Apple did not confirm the reports.

Australia, Asia ex. Japan

In the Asia/Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) region, media tablets will experience a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 54%, multiplying nearly ten times to 21 million units from 2 million units shipped in 2010, according to IDC.  IDC expects more consumers to adopt media tablets to hit gaming, Web-browsing, and social networking needs on the go.

IDC notes that mature countries like Korea, Australia, and Taiwan are showing high interest in mobile devices like media tablets while China continues to demonstrate high purchasing power for new tech products.  Emerging countries in APEJ, like Indonesia and Malaysia by contrast, have more conservative attitudes toward media tablets, and still prefer mininotebooks with better keyboard input and a familiar user experience.

IDC adds that Apple became more active in Asia for the iPad 2 launch, similar to its approach with the iPhone 3G.  "Apple's aggressive pricing and strong branding left little room for other players to prosper.  Samsung focused on its 7-inch tablet, relying on its domestic brand strength to boost its numbers.  A host of local Chinese brands form the long tail in this market.  With product development speed being their key strength, they may survive in some niche markets," IDC said.

"Over the next five years, Apple will set the pace for the media tablet category.  Competitors to iPad must innovate ways to differentiate their products though, lest consumer interest wanes in favor of the next tech gadget. Some of this demand may be driven by the education sector, such as the Thai government's recently announced plan to distribute 800,000 Android tablets to primary school students.  While this latest announcement has not been yet factored into IDC's forecast, there are certainly opportunities out there to keep driving media tablet growth," adds Melissa Chau, Research Manager for Client Devices Research at IDC Asia/Pacific.

The APeJ comprises Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Korea, New Zealand, the Philippines, the People's Republic of China, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam.

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Nelnet Launches Loan Payment, Management App for Android - Sacramento Bee

This section contains unedited press releases distributed by PR Newswire. These releases reflect the views of the issuing entity and are not reviewed or edited by the Sacramento Bee staff. More information on PR Newswire can be found on their web site. You can contact the service with questions or concerns here.

LINCOLN, Neb., June 30, 2011 -- /PRNewswire/ -- Embracing its customers' need for anytime, anywhere access to their student loan account, Nelnet (NYSE: NNI), which has helped families plan, prepare, and pay for education for more than 30 years, recently launched its Loan Assist application for the Android smart phone.

Loan Assist for the Android joins Nelnet's growing list of mobile device applications and tools, including the Apple iPhone Loan Assist app that was released November 30, 2010.

"It is important for us to continue giving our customers a way to access their account information when and where they need it," said Nelnet President Jeff Noordhoek. "With millions of Americans, especially recent college graduates, using mobile devices, offering this app for both iPhone and now the Android is the next logical step in meeting our customers' needs."

The Loan Assist app allows customers to manage their student loan account by:

Making a payment Viewing payment historyChecking the status of deferment and forbearance requestsReviewing account and group summariesUsing loan calculators

As of June 27, the Android application had been downloaded 6,042 times, and the iPhone app had been downloaded 21,240 times.

Nelnet also offers text message reminders of upcoming or overdue payments based on customers' preferences. Borrowers can also make payments and view account information on the go via Nelnet's mobile website, also accessible via both iPhone and Android.

"Our goal is to make paying and managing a student loan as simple and easy as possible," said Suzi Woodring, Managing Director of Nelnet Loan Services. "Loan Assist literally puts a customer's loan in the palm of their hand so no matter where they are or what time it is, if they want to access their information, they can."

For more information, please visit www.nelnetmobile.com.

About Nelnet

Nelnet Inc. (NYSE: NNI), is an innovative education finance and services company focused on providing fee-based processing services and quality education-related products in four core areas: loan financing, loan servicing, payment processing, and education planning. In addition, Nelnet leverages its strong technology competencies throughout its businesses. The company's products and services help students and families plan, prepare, and pay for their education and make administrative and financial processes more efficient for schools and financial organizations. For more information, visit www.nelnet.com.

(code #: nnig)

SOURCE Nelnet

What You Should Know About Comments on Sacbee.com

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You should also know that The Sacramento Bee does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the flag icon to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at feedback@sacbee.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.

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Mobile Posse launches Daily Perks app via US Cellular - Fiercemobilecontent

Mobile Posse introduced Daily Perks, a free informational service enabling U.S. Cellular subscribers to access account data, customized lifestyle content and offers from local and national retailers. Powered by Mobile Posse's MobiCRM active homescreen platform, Daily Perks is currently available for download across Android and BlackBerry smartphones, although U.S. Cellular states it will preload the service on all new phones in the near future.

MobiCRM enables operators to interact with subscribers via the device's homescreen when the phone is not in use. The platform supports customer education, service and support efforts, click-to-call, click-to-web, click-to-SMS and click-to-video promotions.

For more:
- read this release

Related articles:
Mobile Posse's MobiCRM debuts via MetroPCS
WeatherBug signs idle-screen pact with Mobile Posse

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Apps rush: Summify, Coldplay Piano Songbook, Auto Trader and more - The Guardian (blog)

A burst of 16 apps for your consideration

Summify is a very slick-looking iPhone app that pulls down news stories from Twitter, Facebook and Google Reader, then pings you with the 5-10 most relevant ones via push notification. Social features include the ability to look at other users' summaries.
iPhone

Musicroom's latest iPad songbook focuses on Coldplay, offering piano sheet music for 15 of the band's songs, complete with backing tracks to play along to. It joins existing apps made by the company for Adele and Bob Dylan.
iPad

Used car service Auto Trader has a new native iPad app, with a visual-heavy interface and the ability to slice, dice and sort results however the user likes. Disclosure: Guardian Media Group is the co-owner of Auto Trader.
iPad

If you're an Android user who's not an evangelist for Swype, SwiftKey's new app might float your typing boat. It builds on the existing SwiftKey keyboard with features including more personalisation, a better prediction engine and smoother user interface.
Android

London's Southbank Centre now has its own iPhone app, including a guide to events, an audio tour of the site, images of the Centre in 1951, and special offers for food and drink around the complex.
iPhone

Navigation app CoPilot Live has been revamped and relaunched for iPhone, iPad and Android. New features include alternate route options for journeys, a new user interface, social features and live traffic data.
iPhone / iPad / Android

Ramblers? There's an app for them, on iPhone, iPad and Android. It's based on the walking charity's Walk Magazine, with a mix of features, reviews and route cards.
iPhone / iPad / Android

It doesn't appear to be official, but Tivo Mobile is an Android app that claims to let people plan and set recordings from their smartphone, with the developer saying it's "100% compatible with all Virgin Media UK TiVo boxes".
Android

Global charity UNICEF's new iPhone app is designed to showcase its work on children's health, development, education and protection, using location-tagged photographs.
iPhone

UBM's new iPad app for Property Week magazine offers a blend of articles, data and analysis with extra video and audio content, tagged as a special edition.
iPad

This isn't relevant for UK users, but mobile industry readers will be interested to see T-Mobile USA's new Android app, which focuses on its own apps and services around navigation, TV, games, music and others.
Android

This app comes from the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, relating to its Andy Warhol Museum. The idea: users can create their own Warhol-esque digital silkscreen print using the photos on their iPhone or iPad. Around that, there is information on the museum and on Warhol's art.
iPhone / iPad

UK-developed Smart Places promises a smarter approach to the Facebook Places social location service. The idea: users draw zones on a map where they want to automatically check in, and then let their phone handle it for them. There are also notifications of nearby check-ins from friends.
Android

Nappy-brand Pampers has a new iOS app designed around taking photos of the big baby moments, with video tied in too, and sharing features.
iPhone / iPad

Prismatic is a location-based photo sharing app for Android, with features designed to help people find images from other users who aren't necessarily their friends already.
Android

Peexter is an interesting idea: an iPhone app (with Android coming soon) that builds social features around real-world shopping. The question is whether it will pick up enough users quickly to build critical mass.
iPhone

You can follow Guardian Apps Blog's Apps rush on delicious

To suggest links, tag articles on delicious.com with "guardianappsblog"

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ISTE take-home message #1: It's all about the iPads - ZDNet (blog)

Last week I was running my company’s first ever educational trade show booth at the International Society for Technology in Education’s (ISTE) 2011 conference in Philadelphia. I had a few things to say about the big business of ed tech, but, at the end of the day, I had a chance to talk to a lot of people (teachers, vendors, thought leaders, and administrators alike) and walked away with some overarching themes, ideas, and impressions on the state of the art in educational technology.

Despite being tethered to my booth for most of the conference, I had no shortage of people from across K12 and higher ed to talk to. I also managed to sneak away and see some great products (and some products that, quite frankly had me scratching my head about why they were there). Over the next few days, I’ll be writing up some of these products, as well as my key take-home messages.  For today, though, I need to start with the number 1, most important message. This message is especially important for those of us who develop ed tech products but is a big heads up for anyone who thought the iPad just might be a fad.

Guess what? It’s not.

Will Android ultimately dominate this space? Probably. Low-cost Android tablets continue to make their way into the market and, while cheap Chinese tablets were originally of very low quality, that’s changing quickly. New tablets from Viewsonic, for example, range from very usable, inexpensive mobile Internet devices all the way to dual boot Android/Windows PCs that just happen to live in a tablet form factor.

That being said, though, you couldn’t sneeze at ISTE without someone looking up from their iPad to say “Gazuntite!” The sleek tablets were everywhere. Android tablets could only be found in the Dell and Viewsonic booths. While recent over the air updates to Android Honeycomb have rendered it quite stable and speedy-quick on the latest hardware and Android 2.2+ works quite well on smaller tablets, Apple has somehow convinced every teacher and administrator in North America and western Europe that only the iPad is capable of transforming education.

While no tablet will transform anything without the right teaching techniques and curriculum behind it, the iPad is poised to become the next showcase 1:1 platform in schools. It isn’t without its issues in educational enterprise deployments, but the abundance of iPad charging carts, iPad Apps, iPad sessions, and even iPad cases suggests that most people are willing to ignore its shortcomings and leap into iPad-land.

To be completely honest, my own Motorola Xoom and Dell Streak stayed with my kids during the day as they did Philadelphia tourist things. The tablet in use at my booth? An iPad 2, justified by the iLeads App that let me track potential customers in real time based on their badge numbers. I’ll talk more about my internal iPad vs. Xoom vs. Streak conflict later.

For now, suffice to say that in Ed Tech, it’s all about the iPad.

Chris Dawson is a freelance writer and consultant with years of experience in educational technology and web-based systems. In 2011, he became the Vice President of Marketing for WizIQ, Inc., a virtual classroom and learning network SaaS provider.

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Ford makes 10 more Sync cars app-friendly - IntoMobile

We’ve seen Ford’s AppLink in action, which enables smartphone apps to make use of the in-car voice recognition system when paired up via Bluetooth, and today they’ve announced that the system will be rolling out to another 10 Sync vehicles: the 2012 Ford Fusion, Fusion Hybrid, Fiesta, F-150, F-150 SVT Raptor, Super Duty, Expedition, E-Series, Shelby GT500, along with the 2012 Ford Mustang.

Sync is Ford’s on-dash system that lets you talk to your car so your hands are on the wheel and eyes on the road. Built within are a lot of smartphone functions that run over standard Bluetooth profiles, like initiating calls, or stereo music, but thanks to AppLink, developers can plug in to the car system too and offer a few new uses. For example, when listening to Pandora on iPhone, Android, or BlackBerry, you can just tap the voice command button the steering wheel and say “Favorite!” to mark a tune for future reference. OpenBeak, you can dictate tweets to send out while on the road. We can expect a lot more smartphoney stuff from Ford in the long term, as they’ve also used today’s announcement to mention that they’ve quadrupled the size of their connectivity team. Of course, Ford’s not alone in wanting to get cozy with smartphones;  Chevrolet, BMW, Audi, and plenty of others are hopping on this bandwagon, and it promises to be an interesting ride.

I’m actually in Dearborn, Michigan right now at a Ford event, so expect a few more Ford stories tomorrow, including some new apps for Sync.

Simon Sage’s education largely surrounded writing, technology and online community, leading him to begin his blogging career at www.BlackBerryCool.com and to quickly discover a vibrant and active community surrounding BlackBerry and mobile technology. In exploring RIM’s platform, he has learned what enterprises are looking for in mobility as well as what makes the innocuous BlackBerry so appealing to them. Recently Simon’s been covering RIM’s gradual move into an already-crowded consumer market, and the impact of burgeoning challengers, such as the iPhone, as well as long-time leaders, like Nokia, on BlackBerry’s advancement.With plenty of content under his belt, Simon will be branching off a bit to see what other smartphone manufacturers are working on while still using BlackBerry as a barometer. At IntoMobile, you can count on his posts being even-handed, well-informed and thought-out.

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Poor education to blame for Android returns, not poor apps - CNET (blog)

Death by 1,000 paper cuts could be the reason for many Android returns.

As CNET's Nicole Lee reported this morning, Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha this week said that 70 percent of customers returning Moto smartphones are doing so because of poorly written apps that strain the CPU or battery. That's reasonable, but I suggest that there's a more obvious issue at hand here, and it affects more than just Motorola. The problem is poor education. Simply put, most new Android users don't know what they are getting into when they buy a new phone.

Here's a quick, Occam's Razor-style approach to looking at the problem. To put things in persepctive, we start by asking how long a customer had to return a new phone? On average, a user gets about 14 days. Next question: what do you do with your phone for the first two weeks? Naturally, you go crazy installing apps, playing games, and taking advantage of Android's capabilities. That's understandable, but remember that in the process you're blowing through your battery like nobody's business.

A sizable portion of today's Android adopters are people who make the jump from feature phone to smartphone. These are users who relied on their handset primarily for making calls and sending text messages. And with so many Android handsets going for less than $100, most users don't have to strech their budget to trade up. What's more, the desire to upgrade is only exacerbated when you watch your buddies spend their day playing Angry Birds and updating their social status from their smartphone.

So you decide to make the jump and buy an Android phone. The first thing you notice is, "Wow, I have to charge this thing every day!" Though long-time smartphone users are used to that, it comes as a shock to basic phone users. Instead, they're accustomed to charging their handsets once or twice a week.

Also, they now have a phone with a big 4-inch (or larger) screen and they want to play with it comstantly. Since they're downloading games and apps as fast as they can it's not long before they have multiple Twitter and Facebook clients, and countless other apps that run in the background. Maybe they have Weatherbug, Accuweather, and The Weather Channel on their phone because they'd like to figure out which is best. Maybe they're catching up on YouTube now because, well, because now they can.

Another factor is that most new Android users don't adjust settings for applications and notifications. As many of you have probably learned first-hand, your battery would much rather prefer to ping Twitter once every hour instead of 5-minute intervals. A majority of these social network clients, weather apps, and location-based app like to either start on bootup or stay running in behind the scenes. And each little thing like this puts a strain on your battery. Hey cool! I can run moving wallpaper on my home screen and put widgets? Yes please!

Right now, carriers are placing great emphasis on 4G networks and the great things that come with such tremendous speed. There's so much talk about how fast 4G is and how awesome it is to have an always-on data connection. Yet, there's very little talk or emphasis on what this does to your battery. The same can be said for Google Maps, Foursquare, and any other location-based applications.

I don't imagine too many new users heading off to the Android Market and installing a bunch of poorly written titles during the first few days. Rather, many want to install the hot games and apps that everyone is talking about, which usually aren't poorly written. It's not that any particular application or game is to blame, it's that so many small things add up. Gameloft is a very reputable company, which puts out one terrific game after another. But the simple truth is if you play enough Asphalt 6 on a 4.3-inch screen, you are going to quickly kill the battery.

I realize that this is a perfect-world scenario that relies heavily on generalizations, but I've seen it happen more than a few times. I've even done it myself. I recall my battery life being much worse on my Evo 4G during the first month that I had it. Since then, however, I've uninstalled and adjusted apps, stopped playing so many games, and quit watching as much YouTube. I'm much smarter today when it comes to Android. This is not to excuse any applications or to say that Android developers are doing the best they can. Indeed, there's always room for improvement, especially on the topic of battery life.

Editor's note,: This blog post originally left out Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha's last name.

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Verizon Wireless Announces Net Safety Tips On The Go for Android - TMC Net

VerizonWireless announced the availability of Net Safety Tips on the Go, which the company claims to be the first-ever digital safety and security advice app for Android (News - Alert) smartphones.

Net Safety Tips on the Go provides critical online privacy, security and youth online safety educational messages to help Verizon Wireless (News - Alert) customers protect their privacy, families and finances when using their Android smartphones, company officials said.

The app was developed by Google and Verizon, in association with leading online safety education organizations. Launched as part of National Internet Safety Month, Net Safety Tips is available in V CAST Apps.

Verizon  thinks that mobile app-based education is an easier way to educate customers about online safety and security. Through this app, the company offers tips and guidelines from leading security education organizations, including Common Sense Media, ConnectSafely.org, OnGuardOnline.gov and GetNetwise.org, with additional organizations expected to contribute soon.

The app provides tips on mobile privacy and mobile safety. It also educates users about the harms mobile phones can bring to them, including how constant texting and talking can affect customers sleep, concentration, work and school, among other important life activities.

More importantly the app educates users on different kinds of security threats and give information on how they can protect themselves against fraud, phishing, ID theft and password hacking. It also gives advice and tips for social networking privacy. The app also provides tips for parents and children on social media tactics, cyber bullying, reputation, privacy and unwanted contact.  

Smartphone users can also learn about protecting their mobile data, managing apps and more. Net Safety Tips on the Go also advises users on maintaining their digital dignity.

Verizon has been offering a number of personalized tools like My Verizon, Verizon Safeguards, Usage Controls and Content Filters to help customers manage their wireless accounts and ensure they are being used in a safe and responsible manner.  

These services are available through its Parental Controls Center. The Web site also includes contributions from experts in the field including Common Sense Media, ConnectSafely.org, Enough Is Enough, Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), and WebWiseKids.

Rajani Baburajan is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of Rajani's articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Stefanie Mosca

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