SpeedPlexer Blog

“According to the FBI the number of reported laptop thefts increased almost 48 percent over the last two years, from 73,700 to almost 109,000. The number of reported phone robberies jumped 33 percent over the same period, from 60,100 to nearly 80,300… With GadgetTrak’s sneaky defenses, it almost makes you wish your BlackBerry or MacBook gets snatched,” Steven Bertoni of Forbes said.

Yes, GadgetTrak promises that “If your laptop is stolen, our software will tell you where it is, who has it and even what they’re wearing. (Ninjas not included)”.  The Ninjas are figurative, of course, living inside the laptop once you’ve installed the software. But you might be tempted to test them by having a friend make off with your prized possessions, and you might even enjoy it.

The software is designed to take advantage of integrated web cameras and wi-fi. When remotely activated the software will capture photos of the thief as well as well as their specific location every 30 minutes and send it to your email with lightning, or rather, internet speed. The photos also go to your Flickr account. No additional password prompts appear so the thief is unaware the software is tracking them. Muah ah ah!

They have software for PC or Mac laptops, as well as for Blackberry, Windows Mobile and iPhones.  In addition, they’ve got one for removable media and even lost and found tags, for when your device isn’t stolen, just lost, and ready to be returned by a good Samaritan. They’ve even got a data backup solution to ensure your data is safe in the event you laptop is stolen.  They’ve got you covered!

The New York Times ran a story that asked, “Remember when the Internet was supposed to kill off television?” which brings to mind the song that accompanied the first music video ever to be played on MTV: “Video Killed the Radio Star”, which of course it didn’t. But the internet is being accused of killing radio too, along with all other existing media. 

However, the title of their article tells a different story–“Water-Cooler Effect: Internet Can Be TV’s Friend”.  Where people used to talk about the previous night’s or weekend’s news and happenings at work the next day, now we have Facebook and Twitter that allows us to make the conversation immediate and global, with internet speed. 

The Nielsen Company, which measures television viewership and Web traffic, noticed this month that one in seven people who were watching the Super Bowl and the Olympics opening ceremony were surfing the Web at the same time.

“The Internet is our friend, not our enemy,” said Leslie Moonves, chief executive of the CBS Corporation, which broadcast both the Super Bowl and the Grammy Awards this year. “People want to be attached to each other.”

In hopes of making the most of this, NBC showed the Golden Globes live on both coasts for the first time this year, so the entire country could watch and chat online simultaneously. The network reportedly wants to do the same for the Emmy Awards this fall.

The effect is not limited to television, as you likely have already noticed. Online conversations can also help or hinder opening weekends for movies and the ratings for politicians. Recent studies of online social networks have affirmed what researchers have long recognized: people seek to be around and be influenced by like-minded individuals, it’s just that now we can find more of them outside of our immediate neighborhoods!

We’ve been talking about Nielsen’s new survey about the services that internet speed makes available to us and whether we’d be willing to pay for them. But now it’s time to see what people around the world are willing to pay for.

Nielsen surveyed more than 27,000 consumers in 52 countries their opinions on paying for content online. Divided into five geographical regions – Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East/Africa/ Pakistan (MEAP), Latin America and North America – it includes respondents of both genders and various ages.

Theatrical Movies are something global consumers are most willing (46%) to pay for; though only 11% actually have. In Latin America and Asia Pacific, more than six in ten consumers express willingness. But MEAP nations are least inclined (38%) and most resistant (51%) to pay.

Music also has over 40% (41%) of participants willing to purchase. MEAP nations are most resistant (53%) to the idea. North Americans come second in not wanting to pay for music (48%), but score highest (20%) among those who already have. I guess just because we do it doesn’t mean we have to like it! Though for radio stations, barely 5% of consumers worldwide have paid to listen, and just 27% would consider it.

Games are universally popular across all lands and age ranges –16% of consumers globally have paid for video games online. Another 35% say they would be willing to buy online games, with those in Asia Pacific (39%), MEAP (38%) and Latin America (37%) scoring above the worldwide average.

Professionally Produced Video has garnered funds from 8% of online consumers and another 42% look favorably on the idea. But once again, Asia Pacific (11%/47%), MEAP (11%/43%) and Latin America (9%/51%) outscore the global average. Among all age groups, 40% would consider paying for video of this quality.

In our previous post,  we talked about Nielsen’s new survey about the services that internet speed makes available to us and whether we’d be willing to pay for them. But does age factor into a willingness to pay?

It turns out, it does.

Of those who are already paying for content or would be willing to do so, people under 20 are10-15% more likely to spend money than those between 40 and 44.  And the ones who are least likely to be willing to pay are the over 65 year olds.

Nielsen explains, “the younger the consumers the more apt they are to have already paid, or be willing to pay, for various types of content. This may seem counterintuitive considering that many so-called ‘digital natives’ know how to end-run pay sites and have done so in the past. But it reflects a realization that they are now in a world where the value of content is platform-agnostic; and video consumed online may be no less valuable than watched on television.”

Translation: older people are unfamiliar with online content and therefore can easily live without it. Whereas younger people see the value in getting information and entertainment delivered online, and are growing with the technology. 

The age gap is most visible when you look at one type of content–the Under 20 crowd is far more likely to pay for games online than people over 40. Otherwise, all age groups agree that theatrical movies, music and games are the top three things worth paying for.  Professionally produced video, and magazines got over 50% approval and newspapers are the next to be deemed worthy. And all age groups also agree that most blogs are the least worth paying for, though 10% of those 65 and older are still willing.

What internet services would you be willing to pay for, if any?

A recent survey from the Nielsen company, (practically the rulers of all things media-ratings-related), asked 27,000 Web users in 52 countries that question, and found that 85% of respondents would like to see free Web content stay free.

But then when they asked if those surveyed would be willing to pay for specific kinds of content delivered with internet speed, the results were not so cut and dry. Some are already paying for things like movies, music, games, magazines, newspapers and social content. Many more, however, said that the paid content needs to be “considerably better” than the available free content before they’re willing to pay. 

Here’s what else they said:
• 78% believe if they already subscribe to a newspaper, magazine, radio or television service they should be able to use its online content for free.
• 79% would no longer use a web site that charges them, presuming they can find the same information at no cost.
• 62% content that once they purchase content, it should be theirs to copy or share with whomever they want.

Almost 50% of respondents would consider paying for online access to a magazine, while a little over 40% said they would pay for newspaper content on the Web. That could be a positive sign for the struggling print industry — though the question remains: how to make that product worth paying for?

Well, L.A Times Tech blog reported, “Wired unveiled a video today demonstrating how its magazine would run on a tablet computer. Last December, Time Inc. showed off a tablet version of Sports Illustrated. No price has been announced on either product.”