Facebook moves ahead toward Internet drone air fleet

March 27, 2015

      

"The idea is to loiter over an area for months at a time and beam down Internet service."

SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday proclaimed the successful test of a wide-winged, solar-powered drone built to deliver wireless internet service to remote spots.


The test flight of a drone prototype dubbed “Aquila” took place in Britain and was considered a milestone in an internet.org project to bring online access to billions more people around the planet.


“Aircraft like these will help connect the whole world because they can affordably serve the 10 percent of the world’s population that live in remote communities without existing Internet infrastructure,” Zuckerberg said in a post on his Facebook timeline.


The unpiloted aerial vehicle, or drone, has a wingspan greater than that of a Boeing 737 passenger jet and weighs about as much as a small car, Facebook chief technology officer Mike Schroepfer told a packed audience at the social network’s annual gathering of developers in San Francisco.


“The idea is to loiter over an area for months at a time and beam down Internet service,” Schroepfer said.


Drones powered by the sun will fly at altitudes of 60,000 feet or higher and be able to remain aloft for months, according to Zuckerberg.


Schroepfer estimated that anywhere from one billion to three billion people lack access to the Internet that most of those attending the developers conference likely took for granted.


Connecting everyone to the Internet is one of the core challenges Facebook intends to tackle in coming years, according to Schroepfer.


Adding ‘teleportation,’ services 
He laid out a Facebook vision of efficient, massive data centers to provide online services to all of those people, along with making computers smart enough to help deal with the inevitable overload of information flooding the Internet.


Facebook made an artificial intelligence “memory network” breakthrough on a path to getting machines to recognize images or videos and give context to words, according to Schroepfer.


Facebook’s future includes conceptually teleporting social network users with virtual reality technology from Oculus, which the California company bought last year in a deal valued at $2 billion.


The latest version Oculus headgear, called Crescent Bay, was being shown off at the gathering.


“Virtual reality is potentially world changing and incredibly cool and it is really happening,” Oculus chief scientist Michael Abrash told developers at the gathering.


“Sooner or later, you will want to be a part of it.”


Abrash said that Oculus would begin shipping virtual reality headgear in quantity “before too long.”


He predicted that, over time, virtual reality will incorporate body movements, nearby objects, and users’ environments.


“A lot of important pieces are not in place yet, but all that will get figured out,” Abrash said.


Getting developers to build fun, hip, or functional applications for devices or platforms is seen as crucial to success in markets.


Other virtual reality gear is in the works from Japanese electronics giant Sony, while Valve and Taiwan-based smartphone maker HTC are working together on Vive virtual reality headgear.


South Korean consumer electronics titan Samsung is fielding Gear VR headsets powered by Oculus technology.
- AFP

Facebook bets on Messenger app, opens it to developers

Facebook bets on Messenger app, opens it to developers





SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook is turning its Messenger application into a platform for e-commerce, video and more in a bid to shake up online communication.


Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg unveiled Messenger Platform, describing it as a way for software developers to boost appeal to the more than 600 million people using the application.


"We think this service has the potential to allow people to express themselves in new ways... and to be an important communication tool for the world," Zuckerberg said at the California-based company's annual developers conference that ends Thursday in San Francisco.


Facebook executives introduced more than 25 products and tools tailored to help developers "build, grow, and monetise" mobile applications aimed at the social network's audience of approximately 1.39 billion people.


Messenger is being upgraded to allow users to share photos, audio clips, videos, animated snippets and other digital content.


Application constellation
The changes underscore Facebook's vision for Messenger as a new communication tool that complements the social network and ramps up efforts to compete with rivals like Snapchat, which is adding media partners to its messaging app.


"They are trying to make Messenger a full-featured and rich media platform," Gartner analyst Brian Blau told AFP at the conference.


"I think that they are interested in letting people know that Facebook is not a single app company, it is an app constellation."


Along with Messenger and its eponymous social networking application, Facebook owns WhatsApp and Instagram.


Blau likened the Messenger move to the rise of Facebook as a platform.


Making online shopping personal
One of the Messenger upgrades was designed to build on Facebook's move into e-commerce by weaving chat threads into purchases at websites, essentially turning formerly impersonal Internet shopping into ongoing text message conversations.


"We're making Messenger a place where you can easily communicate with the businesses you care about in addition to the people you care about," Zuckerberg said.


The e-commerce move comes a week after Facebook unveiled a way to use Messenger for peer-to-peer payments, and with the social network testing a "buy" button to allow users to make purchases directly from their Facebook pages.


Marcus saw great promise in using Messenger to connect its 600 million users with the 30 million business pages at Facebook.


"We want to start conversations between businesses and people," Marcus told AFP.
"It needs to feel private, not noisy."


Messenger chats between customers and shops are meant to provide conversation-thread context to buying things; tracking shipments, and handling customer concerns.


Because personalised exchanges such as those require high levels of service, Facebook is starting with a few select partners that promise to hit standards set by the social network, according to Marcus.


"A real problem to solve is how businesses manage the chats," Marcus said.


"We will need to see if we can automate common questions without being awkward."


Facebook is not making money from connecting businesses and customers in Messenger. The priority is perfecting and expanding the capability, with revenue tactics to be determined in the future.


"If they can find a niche in business for that very contextual message, they could benefit," Blau said.
"It is cool that they built a platform to let this experimentation begin."


Facebook videos anywhere
The Messenger team is also working with partners including ESPN and the Bad Robot film production company owned by Hollywood director J. J. Abrams to release applications that work on the Messenger platform.


Additionally, Facebook introduced a tool designed to make it easy to take public video posted at the social network and embed it at other websites.


Partners testing the embedded video player included Huffington Post, according to platform head Deborah Liu.


"People can now watch and interact with Facebook videos from anywhere on the Web," she said.


The social network also told the more than 2,500 developers at the gathering that it is adding "push" technology that will let applications control smart home devices such as garage doors, locks, lights and more to be in tune with the booming so-called "Internet of Things."
– AFP   26 March 2015

Instagram releases collage-making app called Layout

Instagram releases collage-making app called Layout






INSTAGRAM on Monday released a stand-alone application that makes it easy to create collages of iPhone pictures.


The move by the Facebook-owned smartphone photo sharing service was in keeping with a strategy by social network co-founder Mark Zuckerberg to field separate, specialized applications aimed at ways people like to use mobile devices.


"When you open Layout, we automatically show you previews of custom layouts as you chose photos from your camera roll," Instagram said in an online post introducing Layout.


Layout features include the ability to automatically find pictures containing faces, and the option of share collages at leading social network Facebook as well as at Instagram.


The Layout application released on Monday was tailored for mobile devices powered by Apple software. A version of the app for use on Android gadgets should be available in coming months, according to Instagram.


Instagram finished last year with more than 300 million users.
 – AFP   24 March 2015

4 reasons why Singaporeans aren't investing more

4 reasons why Singaporeans aren't investing more





To Singaporeans, investing is like your "favourite" relative. You know, the one whom you dread dealing with every family gathering.


Like the grand-auntie who always pinches your cheeks and reminds you how you adorable you looked when you were a baby.


Three decades ago. And then loudly proclaims you aren't as cute anymore.


Or the uncle with the thinning scalp and smarmy , lopsided grin who always wants a hug, and keeps his hands on your back


LONG after you've let go of him.


That's how we Singaporeans seem to treat investments, according to the annual BlackRock Global Investor Pulse Survey.


We invest only 21 per cent of our take-home pay, compared to 29 per cent of savings, 24 per cent on mortgage, rent and utilities and 26 per cent on daily expenditure.


So why are Singaporeans so adverse to investing?


According to the Survey, BlackRock identified 4 main reasons why Singaporeans aren't investing more: Risk of losing initial investment and no guaranteed return Inadequate knowledge about investing


Complex investment solutions Higher cost of investing


1. Risk of losing initial investment and no guaranteed return
We Singaporeans have made being kiasu a national sport.


We're so afraid of losing! Naturally, these two factors came up tops.


We want to see returns but we aren't willing to risk our initial investment.


It's like trying to learn swimming from online tutorials because you don't want to get wet.


59 per cent of those surveyed said a guaranteed return from their investments would encourage them to invest more.


42 per cent said knowing that they wouldn't lose their initial investments would encourage them to invest more.


The only "investments" that guarantee returns as well as avoid risk are long-term fixed deposits.


But these give ridiculously low returns.


Even six years ago, the best bank interest rates didn't even reach 1 per cent.


These days, you'd be lucky to find one that's above 0.7 per cent.


That means, if you invest $10,000 in a fixed deposit account for a year, the MOST you can get back is only $70.


Well, at least it's safer than burying your money.


Especially if you put up a sign that says "No money buried here!"


The irony of course, is that we Singaporeans are very good at spending money on 4D or Toto, or even in casinos.


The odds of getting a return from those "investments" are even lower!


2. Inadequate knowledge about investing
The next factor that would encourage Singaporeans to invest more is to get more adequate knowledge about the various investment products.


40 per cent say that better knowledge about investing would encourage them to invest more.


A beginner investor, when confronted with the various investment options available, is likely to look for advice because they don't have enough information.


Bonds, unit trusts, shares and real estate investment trusts, just to name a few, each work differently to earn you money.


Without knowing which is best for you, you might end up jumping on a bandwagon.


For example, foreign exchange trading continues to be popular among young people hoping to get rich quick, but the high stress levels due to the volatile nature of the currencies proves it's not for everyone.


3. Complex investment solutions
On the other hand, just having knowledge about investing isn't enough if the investment mechanism itself is complicated.


32 per cent feel that simpler investment solutions would encourage them to invest.


That is why the option of using a Regular Savings Plan to invest in an Exchange Traded Fund is so important for Singaporeans.


A Regular Savings Plan welcomes small-time and beginner investors who may not have large capital traditionally associated with investing.


The Exchange Traded Fund allows the investor to diversify his investment and reduce his risk.


True, they are not principal-guaranteed, but if you are looking to invest for the long-term, the risk is reduced.


4. Higher cost of investing
30 per cent of those surveyed felt that a lower cost associated with investing would encourage them to invest more.


The fact of the matter is that commission fees and brokerage fees are there because others are doing most of the legwork for you.


However, it only takes a little bit of research to find the lowest commissions or even commission-free trading options.


That being said, a little more research will reveal that even those that don't charge commission find other ways to make money, so be sure to find one that suits your needs.
------ MoneySmart   24 March 2015

Top 10 online shopping sites in Singapore you need to bookmark now

Top 10 online shopping sites in Singapore you need to bookmark now







If you caught the broadcast of Budget 2015 on TV, you might have been reminded of your own budget (which might have shrinked significantly post-CNY). From doing charity work to receiving cash rebates when you spend, get more bang for your buck with these online shopping sites.


1. Shopback
Shopback is what you'd get if the Great Online Shopping Festival (GOSF) was held all year round.


It offers cash back on top of the rad discounts offered by participating shopping sites, and if you think they only have fashion sites on board, think again: Available categories range from food and drink to travel.


Some of the deals available include a five per cent cash rebate on New Balance sneakers, and a 9 per cent cash back on travel deals. This is in addition to the discounts given out at the NATAS Travel Fair.


2. Pomelo
Pomelo is known for being at the forefront of Asian fashion.


Its name is derived from the company's Southeast Asian heritage.


They're based in Bangkok and Singapore is one of its key markets.


"Plus it's a fruit that's always in season, fresh, sweet, and sour (sour = double meaning in Thai to mean sassy) - all things that kind of describe us.


And we love the sound of the name of course!" says Pomelo's style editor Tara.


Having appeared on fashion magazines like Cleo, Marie Claire, and HerWorld soon after its launch in 2014, Pomelo has shown that it is the online shopping site for any girl who wants to stand out from the crowd.


Their pieces are all designed in Korea, and are updated twice each week with a year-round return service.


3. Luxola
For those who have not heard of Luxola, it's a hotspot for online purchases of beauty products for both men and women.


Founded by Alexis Horowitz-Burdick in 2011, it has since grown into Southeast Asia's leading online beauty store.


 One of our favourite features on the website is its Editor's Picks tab, which introduces brands and products to first-time customers.


It's a nice touch - one which is unfortunately seldom found on online shopping portals.


Luxola also offers a cash-on-delivery option, which is great news for shoppers who want the extra security of being able to pay only upon receiving their goods.


 4. Smooch the Label
If you're looking for ethereal pieces that can be worn for any occasion, look no further than Smooch the Label.


Its founder, Sarah, started the business in 2010, and handpicks pieces to be manufactured.


Each one is designed with her own flair, and design inspirations can be found on their blog, which is maintained by Sarah and her team.


With over 8000 followers on Instagram and 14,000 'likes' on Facebook, this brand is definitely one to look out for.


5. Megafash
We previously gushed about Megafash in an earlier post, and since then, the brand has expanded to include more participating brands, transforming itself into an online conglomerate of shopping outlets.


It aims to connect independent brands and creative projects on the platform, so that they'll be easily accessible to an international audience.


6. Style Tribute
Customers can have their selection of pre-loved luxury items delivered to their doorstep from the fairy godmothers at Style Tribute.


The site offers a unique buy-and-sell service, and the team conducts thorough quality checks on luxury items contributed by sellers before listing them online at a fraction of their original prices.


 The team's business acumen and niche in high-end fashion have earned them media coverage by The Business Times, Citynomads, and Cosmopolitan, among many others.


7. BooksActually
Online shopping is not all about fashion.


BooksActually was founded in 2005, and is an independent bookstore with an eclectic library of books - both well-known and obscure - written by local and international authors.


They also have their own line of stationery called Birds & Co., which are all handmade and come in limited editions.


If you prefer to feel the pages of actual books at a store outlet, you'd be glad to know that BooksActually has a brick-and-mortar store tucked away at No. 9 Yong Siak Street, Tiong Bahru.


It is perfect for the literature aficionado, and for those who wish to see their resident cats roam around the space.


A visit to BooksActually is a shopping experience that is, literally, one for the books.


8. The Fashion Benefit
If you're feeling rich post-CNY, why not give some of your new found wealth to charity?


The Fashion Benefit is a non-profit organisation that gathers ethical retailers - who share the same ethos towards making a difference in the world - in one place, so that shoppers get easy access to their products.


For every item purchased online, The Fashion Benefit donates USD$5 (S$6.95) to a charitable cause.


Their present beneficiary is the underprivileged in Poipet, where they address both healthcare and educational needs.


However, items on the site don't come cheap.


Prices on their online store start from at least USD$50 after discount.


9. Tate & Tonic
For the gents who would rather spend their time looking good than rummaging through racks of clothing for the perfect fit, Tate & Tonic is here to help.


Customers first fill up a style questionnaire and based on these responses, one of Tate & Tonic's personal shoppers will select a number of styles they find suitable.


A box containing the selected items will then be dropped off at your doorstep.


All you have to do is suit up and pay for what you want to keep.


Returned items will be collected from the mailing address for free.


10. HipVan
The team behind HipVan is on a mission to bring customers products that are not only creative, but functional as well.


In an interview with TimeOut, Deborah Wee, co-founder of HipVan, said: "We are inspired by the classic VW camper van that was a cultural icon in the '60s - the van embodied uniqueness, colour, and choosing your own path in life.


So we focus on products that were borne out of a designer's inspiration and creativity.


" In addition to the brands it has partnered with, HipVan also has a section for Singaporean brands where local designers can showcase their products.


Some of these include a taste of cheeky Singaporean humour, making them fun souvenirs for both tourists and locals. P


art of the excitement of shopping stems from finding something new, and these 10 brands are definitely bringing novelty back into online shopping.


Vulcan Post is all about living life with a digital edge, up and coming startups, and people who inspire conversations.Visit Vulcan Post for more stories.

Email, Internet remain top workplace tools

Email, Internet remain top workplace tools

December 31, 2014

And despite the rise of social networks like Facebook and Twitter, just four percent in the survey said these platforms were important for the workplace.

 

 

Americans see email and the Internet as the most important tools for productivity at work, and still prefer landlines over cellphones for the office, a study showed Tuesday.
 

The Pew Research Center found 61 percent of those surveyed cited email as “very important” for their jobs and 54 percent said the same for the Internet.

The figures were even higher for office-based workers.

More than one in three surveyed said the landline phone was an important tool for work, compared with 24 percent for a mobile or smartphone.

And despite the rise of social networks like Facebook and Twitter, just four percent in the survey said these platforms were important for the workplace.

“Email is to the digital age what stone-sharpening tools were in the prehistoric age,” said Lee Rainie, director of Internet, science, and technology research at the Pew Center.

“Email has proven its worth on the job as the foundational ‘social media’ day by day even as rival technologies arise.

“It was the killer app 45 years ago for the early Arpanet and it continues to rule workplaces despite threats like spam and phishing and competitors like social networking and texting.”

Contrary to concerns that technology is a distraction, the survey found 46 percent said digital tools made them more productive, compared with seven percent who said their productivity fell.

Half of the respondents said technologies allowed them to expand the number of people with whom they communicate, and 39 percent said they had more flexibility at work due to digital tools.

But one in three said the new landscape increased the time they spent working.

The importance of email in the workplace has been documented for some time.

In 2002, Pew Research Internet surveys showed that 61 percent of American workers were using email at work and in 2008, reported that 62 percent of working US adults were “networked,” meaning they used the Internet or email in the workplace.

Office and away
For office-based workers, these tools are markedly more important, Pew found: 78 percent of office workers cited email as an important tool compared with 25 percent who don’t work in an office.

And the Internet was seen as vital for 68 percent of those in an office, and 26 percent of non-office employees.

For those who work away from their main workplace, the Internet and cell phones are key tools, Pew found.

Among the nearly 60 percent of employed Internet users who go outside of the workplace at least occasionally, half say the Internet and cell phones are “very important” to allowing them to do their job.

The survey also found that nearly half — 46 percent — of employees said their workplace blocks access to certain websites or imposes rules about what they can say or post online.

One in four said their company encourages employees to use the Internet and email to promote the organization, but more than half said this was not the case.

“These respondents highlight how workplaces in the Knowledge Economy are differently organized and have different connections to customers and competitors from workplaces designed to suit the Industrial Age,” said Rainie.

The report is based on an online survey conducted September 12-18 of 1,066 adult Internet users, which included 535 employed full-time or part-time. The margin of error was estimated at 4.9 percent.
- AFP

 

US retailers warn of Chinese giant Alibaba's impact in US

US retailers warn of Chinese giant Alibaba's impact in US


People ride a double bicycle past a logo of The Alibaba Group at the company's headquarters on the outskirts of Hangzhou.

SAN FRANCISCO - Several of the largest US retailers warned that Alibaba Group Holding Inc may "decimate" local companies unless Congress closes tax loopholes for online retailers, singling out the Chinese company before it has even established a major American consumer presence.

In TV and radio ads over the weekend, the Alliance for Main Street Fairness, which includes Best Buy, Target, JC Penney and other major chains, called on Congress to end special tax treatment for Alibaba and other online giants.

 "Main Street will never look the same," it said.

The ad marks one of the biggest public marketing campaigns against a Chinese company that handles more e-commerce than Amazon and eBay combined, even though Alibaba only surfaced in the American consciousness after it went public in the world's largest-ever IPO in September.

 US retailers and industry analysts expect Alibaba to soon launch a service targeted at American consumers, armed with its IPO war chest. However, the company has said it remains primarily focused on the Chinese market, from which it already gets most of its revenue.

The company says increasing wealth and online penetration will ensure its home market remains the prime driver of growth in coming years. Alibaba presently sells to American consumers through its global retail service AliExpress.

But its core Taobao service, often likened to eBay's marketplace, is not yet available to US customers in English.

Alibaba representatives in the United States did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
------ Reuters    2 December 2014