Nikon has launched its new retro-styled DSLR camera, one it teased for the last week and leaked just before its launch. The Nikon Df is a full-frame DSLR in a 1.5-pound, weather-sealed body with a 16.2-megapixel sensor and an EXPEED 3 processor, similar to that of the D4, with the device also boasting a sensitivity range that goes as high as ISO 204,800....






-- For more information read the original article here.
Pandora's chief financial officer Michael Herring touted the company's resilience in the face of Internet radio newcomer Apple, saying listening hours were up over eight percent in October despite the loss of some 1.8 million active listeners.






-- For more information read the original article here.

One of the unsung uses of the iPad is as a personal LTE hotspot. It's rather easy to set up the device as a hotspot for a MacBook if you need to work away from Wi-Fi, although you'll need to keep an eye on your data usage. Last year, Anand Lal Shimpi at Anandtech discovered that an LTE iPad 3 could work as a wireless hotspot for 25.28 hours, downloading data at 50 KB/s. Shimpi repeated his test with the new iPad Air and discovered that even despite having a much smaller battery, the iPad Air can run for 24.08 hours as a hotspot at twice the throughput rate (100 KB/s).

The iPad Air battery is quite a bit smaller due to the slim profile of the device -- it's a 32.4 Wh battery compared with the 42.5 Wh battery built into the third-generation iPad. As Shimpi points out, both the A7 system-on-a-chip and the Qualcomm MDM9615M modem in the iPad Air use a 28nm LP process that sips power.

Shimpi's test was to set the iPad Air up as a personal hotspot, using Wi-Fi tethering to connect it to a 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display. He started the 100 -- For more information read the original article here.

The British government is combating the overreaching electronic surveillance by intelligence agencies by banning tablets from closed door meetings, according to reports. A number of iPads used during a presentation to the Cabinet were allegedly seized shortly after it had concluded, for fear that they may be used to listen in on private and secret governmental conversations....






-- For more information read the original article here.
yahoo-maktoob

Yahoo told employees today that it planned to close its office in Cairo, Egypt, at the end of this year. There are about 40 staffers working there; with the move, there will now be no company presence in Egypt.

Yahoo said it will continue to operate in Amman, Jordan, and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in the Middle East and Africa region, serving users of its Arabic Maktoob site.

A spokesperson for the Silicon Valley Internet service said: “This decision is part of Yahoo's global effort to streamline operations, encourage collaboration by bringing more Yahoos together in fewer locations, and build a strong global business that is set up for long-term growth.”

In a related and larger move, Yahoo closed its operations in South Korea at the end of last year, after it had trouble gaining traction in the market.

-- For more information read the original article here.
Larry Page

Google made a big change to the way it displays advertising alongside search results yesterday, one that will likely result in users seeing bigger search ads with more links in them at the top of search pages. That's because the change incentivizes advertisers to use more of Google's "ad extensions" that make search ads look bigger and fancier.

The change will also penalize advertisers who aren't using ad extensions — which is why the change is expected to result in a lot more advertisers using them, and a lot more users seeing them.

A regular Google search ad is pretty simple. It sits in a yellow box at the top of the page, shows the name of the business, its URL, and maybe a short tagline underneath. This, by contrast, is what an ad that uses ad extensions looks like (emphasis added):

Google ad extensions hyundai

Google displays ads based on a formula called "Adrank," which picks the best ad based on the search entered. Google just made ad extensions part of its Adrank formula, the company said, in such a way that favors ad extensions:

Ad extensions and formats can now influence the position -- For more information read the original article here.

Airbnb

Airbnb has just released a new study highlighting the Airbnb community's positive economic impact in New York City.

Conducted by HR&A Advisors, the study found that Airbnb, the popular peer-to-peer apartment sharing startup, generated $632 million in economic activity in New York in one year and supported 4,580 jobs throughout all five boroughs.

Nearly 90% of Airbnb hosts rent out the home they live in and use the money they earn to help make ends meet. Meanwhile, Airbnb guests spend more time and money in New York than typical tourists.

In a statement from Airbnb, other highlights from the study were shared:

● Airbnb visitors stay on average 6.4 nights (compared to 3.9 for hotel guests) and spend $880 at NYC businesses (compared to $690 for average New York visitors).

● Airbnb brings visitors to neighborhoods that traditionally have not benefited from tourism. 82% of Airbnb listings in New York are outside of the main tourist hotel area of midtown Manhattan and the average Airbnb guest spends $740 in the neighborhood where that guest stays.

This study follows last month's news that New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman -- For more information read the original article here.

jim payne

MoPub, the mobile advertising business that Twitter acquired for $350 million in stock right before it filed for an IPO, had only $6.5 million in net revenue in the first half of 2013, according to a new disclosure by Twitter to the SEC.

Previously, the only gauge of MoPub's size in the marketplace was an estimated revenue "run-rate" of $100 million. That number presumably included MoPub's clients' spending on mobile ads, which is passed through the company. The "net revenue" number is the sales fees and commissions that MoPub keeps for serving its clients.

So people expected MoPub's net revenue to be smaller than $100 million.

But just $6.5 million over 6 months? From a company that employs about 100 people? That's a shock to those observing the deal. Twitter didn't disclose MoPub's gross revenues, or what the total amount of client spending is behind MoPub's business.

For comparison, Millennial Media, one of MoPub's competitors, had net revenues ("gross profit," as disclosed) of $45 million over the same half-year period on gross revenues of $106 million.

That $6.5 million is up from just $2.7 million in revenue the year before:

The iPhone is one of the most-used cameras in the world. However, in pursuit of the frequently illusive "perfect shot," more often than not you're required to take your iPhone into potential harm's way. The Optrix PhotoPro X (US$149.95) aims to protect your iPhone and enhance its camera in that pursuit.

First, let's start with the case. The PhotoPro X case is designed to withstand the toughest of bumps, scratches and drops. Made from an impact-resistant, custom polycarbonate unibody design, the PhotoPro X case will protect the iPhone from drops of up to 30 feet onto pavement. Oh, and it's waterproof up to 33 feet, too. In fact, it's earned the IPX8 water-immersion rating, the highest awarded to electrical housings.

The case is made up of two components. Firstly, a lightweight, sturdy and snug sled / tray case that the iPhone clips into. This provides low-level protection around the back and sides of the iPhone and is ideal for everyday light protection, though nothing fancy. The second part is the polycarbonate unibody. This has a latch door opening at the top that the iPhone, within the sled / tray case, slides into. It's all very simple to use. Put the iPhone -- For more information read the original article here.

BlackBerry Messenger has been downloaded more than 10 million times in its first 24 hours of availability. The app for Android and iOS, free on both platforms, is said by the company to be the top free app in more than 75 countries, including the US, UK, and Canada, which BlackBerry calls one of the "best single-day openings for a mobile app to date."...






-- For more information read the original article here.