Parmy Olson's Blog, page 57

Scale, Not Privacy, Cited As Key 'Hurdle' For Mobile Advertisers

Recent cyber security breaches at Target, Neiman Marcus and Snapchat don’t seem to have made mobile advertisers too worried about the future safety of customer data. Digital ad agencies who convened for the Mobile Media Summit in San Francisco on Tuesday said their clients — large brands like the ones mentioned above — were "pumped up" about hyper-location targeting with tools like Apple's iBeacon, which could grant them access to the geolocation data of large swathes of potential customers.

Mobile Advertisers Aim To Be More Useful, Less Annoying And Creepy

Advertising has become an increasingly important revenue source for the multi-billion-dollar app economy, as consumers become less inclined to pay for the mobile apps they download. That’s left advertisers with two options: build your their own standalone app, or advertise within an app that people already use.

Starbucks 'Chose Convenience Over Security' In Leaving iOS App Vulnerable

Is it better for mobile apps to be easy-to-use, or secure? It’s a question that app developers constantly grapple with in the face of a competitive landscape, and it can sometimes take a data breach like Snapchat's to push them in the latter direction.  Earlier this week security researcher Daniel Wood disclosed his findings on how was storing data about users of its iOS app in plain text and locally on a device, making passwords and even geolocation data about users vulnerable to theft if the wrong kind of hacker got hold of their iPhone.

Telepresence Robot Beam+ Targets Consumers, Slashing Price To $1,000 From $16,000

It’s been argued that telepresence robots like Beam were among the creepiest gadgets at last week’s Consumer Electronics Show, roving tablets on sticks and wheels that allowed Forbes reporter Kashmir Hill to navigate the event from her kitchen and narrowly avoid driving over people’s feet.

Nest Gives Google Its Next Big Data Play: Energy

When Google bought Motorola in 2012, its mandate was to get more millions people on the mobile web. Now with its $3.2 billion purchase of Nest Labs, Google could get millions of homes connected to a different kind of web: an energy management system powered by Big Data.

Motorola CEO Reads Tech News Comments, Amazon Reviews For Consumer Insight

When Apple and Samsung are the competition, upstart smartphone makers need a good sense of consumer appetite if they want to maintain an edge. Motorola Mobility's chief executive, Dennis Woodside, helps answer that age-old question by doing something that probably requires nerves of steel or a stiff drink beforehand: he peruses the comments sections of tech news sites and Amazon reviews.

CEO Says BlackBerry Sued Typo Because The Keyboard 'Is Our Identity'

BlackBerry is fighting for its rightful place in in the smartphone market, especially when it comes to keyboards.

T-Mobile's Gatecrashing CEO May Be A Marketing Genius

Eccentric CEOs are a rare breed even in the cutting-edge world of technology, but T-Mobile boss John Legere is one of them, and that may prove an advantage for a company eager to lure customers from and Verizon.

Pebble Goes For The Rolex Look With 'Steel' Smartwatch

Pebble wants to move beyond plastic.

Ready To Text The Fridge? LG's Partnership With LINE Lets You Message Home Appliances

The simple act of text messaging may take us step closer to smarter homes.