Android Analysis Misses a Consideration
January 21, 2013
I liked “What Does Google need from Android?” The article points out that Google is a key player in the mobile world. Mission accomplished. The hitch in the git along, however, is that revenue from mobile ads is different from desktop browser ads. We will have to watch Google’s financial reports to determine if the Google has been able to tap dance away from this crowd on the revenue dance floor.
The second point is that Google has done its job of democratizing access to the Internet. I am okay with this point, but I think the effort was more of a tactic to make Google into a 21st century Microsoft. I don’t think Google’s mathematicians and scientists were trying to help out humanity. That is a job for the social science and home economics majors in Googzilla’s marketing department.
The third point is that Google gets a lot of data. I don’t have a problem with this Hoover vacuum approach to information. At age 69, Google can know what it wants. I, like most seniors, do the surfing and email thing. I am not trying to cook up a fake girl friend or obtain self validation from the number of Facebook likes I accrue.
What is missing, however, is the fact that Google’s handling of Android is going to have some unintended consequences. One that I am thinking about is from our old pal Samsung. Samsung has blue chip consultants advising a bunch of engineers who want to capture as much money and market share as possible in today’s Wild West world.
Why is Samsung likely to take inspiration from Google and other masters of capitalism? My hypothesis is that Samsung wants to do the Apple thing from Mr. Jobs’s apex. Samsung already does the mobile manufacturing, branding, distributing, and other functions we know and love from the earliest days of the chaebol. Some poobahs and real journalists point out that Samsung is not so good in the software department.
My thought is that money can produce competent computer scientists, user interface, and programming types. With some effort, Samsung can cut its ties with Android, roll out its own bulgogi and leave the Google high and dry. What will Google do to prevent this from happening? I am not sure. Samsung is a clever outfit, and I think that Google’s controlled chaos approach to management is going to come back to bite some Googlers on the ankle.
Will this matter?
Well, not to me. To Google, having Samsung take off on a long march without Android may seem irrelevant. If Samsung goes its own way, who will be in charge of mobile? Apple, Google, Microsoft, Research in Motion, and HTC? Maybe the answer will be Samsung. Bad news for the GOOG perhaps?
Samsung warrants observation. If I have the energy here in rural Kentucky, I might do more than hypothesize. For now, I just wanted to point out that the three points in the write up are pretty good. Omission of the Samsung angle may represent a misunderstanding of what is at stake for the Google—steadily increasing revenues. Could Google lose momentum? Good question. Ask a Google economist if you stumble upon one? Don’t ask an Google ad sales professional. The world according to that species of Googler is better every day.
Stephen E Arnold, January 21, 2013
PolySpot Enables Access to Actionable Insights
January 21, 2013
After several years of articles focused simply on what big data means, the time has finally arrived where many media outlets are moving beyond definitions in their coverage. HR Bartender breaches the subject of massive volumes of petabytes in regards to the opportunities and actionable information it produces in their recent article, “Moving from Big Data to Real Insight.”
The article tells us to acknowledge but bypass skepticism, focus on success and build off of small victories. Among many professional tips and guidelines for creating insights out of numbers, the author emphasizes the prime motivation as enabling a better customer and client experience.
The article recommends:
It’s important to understand how to get insights from our data. And before companies try to incorporate big data into their strategy, here are a few things to consider. Identify the “why”. Companies need to know why they are gathering data. Example: In the IBM CEO study, chief executives talk about building data to serve their customers. Their goal is to empower customer facing staff by using analytics to create a better customer experience.
Moving the needle from a chaotic array of data holed up in silos in various programs and applications will be challenging without the proper infrastructure component. PolySpot, for example, with over one hundred connectors aids in the technological side of information access.
Megan Feil, January 21, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
Strata Conference Focuses on Big Data
January 21, 2013
Big Data is going to be the focus of 2013, particularly when it comes to open source innovation. O’Reilly Strata Conference 2013 is devoted to Big Data and pressing complimentary issues like: enterprise IT, design, Hadoop, open source and law, and applications. Read more at the official conference promotion site, “Tap into the Collective Intelligence of the Best Minds in Data.”
The conference promises the following:
“The future belongs to those who understand how to collect and use their data successfully. And that future happens at Strata. The breadth and depth of expertise at Strata is unsurpassed—with over 120 speakers and 100 presentations and events, you’ll find solutions to your most pressing data issues. The conference program covers strategy, technology, and policy.”
The conference will take place February 26 – 28, 2013 in Santa Clara, California. Register now for the early discount. For those who cannot attend, still check out the options to connect with the community via the website. Also, for those who are interested in the best Big Data solution for their organization’s enterprise, a deeper look into LucidWorks Big Data may be in order. It is leading the field in Big Data for enterprise, standing firmly on the trusted name of LucidWorks, a leader in open source for enterprise for years.
Emily Rae Aldridge, January 21, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
Updates On Customer Experience Management
January 21, 2013
Pulling from Customer Think, the article “Predictions For Customer Experience Management In 2013” discusses how the customer experience management have made great strides in the past three years. CEM used to solely focus on information fathering and finding insights in customer data (sounds like Big Data, right?). CEM now has more technology and methods at its fingertips to connect CEM users to its customers for real experiences. Two thousand thirteen will bring even more changes and the article predicts that solicited and social feedback will merge. CEM users must figure out how to take it, advantage of the two and possibly build a platform to manage it. Also immediate and real time feedback through mobile devices will be worth their weight in gold to gain consumer insights.
Here is the biggest change:
“Action at the Frontline Will Become Standard: While first-generation CEM software focused on capturing feedback, today’s CEM solutions go beyond understanding the customer experience. Now enterprises want CEM platforms that allow the frontline to connect feedback to action. In 2013, organizations will measure their CEM programs not just on response rates, but also on the closed loop and the business impact of closing the loop. The CEM solution of 2013 will directly (and not through complicated integration and years of IT projects) trigger, capture, and manage the action associated with feedback all the way to the frontline. CEOs need to make it their company’s mission to focus on the customer and even create a culture and the appropriate business measures and incentives to make it happen. But the people, who directly impact the customer’s experience, each and every day, are frontline employees. In 2013, the actions and influence of the frontline will grow, and consumers will feel the benefits.”
CEM makes sense when it comes to clothing, personal products, sport-related products, technology, etc., but what does it mean for software? Cheaper customer support systems? The article, applies more to physical products than digital.
Whitney Grace, January 21, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
Accuracy Proves Quality Analytics
January 21, 2013
Accuracy is key for analytics, because it validates information performed by a computer while the human user was away doing other business. The only way to measure accuracy is to compare human analysis to computer analysis. The Attensity Blog focuses on “How Accuracy In Analytics Matters For Businesses.” The article explains accuracy is measured to how well a computer can mimic a human brain:
“Computers only do what we tell them to do. They have (almost) infinite computational power, and can apply any set of rules to any computational variables. This means that if we tell computers that a specific word or combination of words means something positive, then the computer cannot make it mean something negative. In other words, we are not really rating the computer’s ability to determine a sentiment we are rating whether humans did a good job, or not, in biasing the computer to pick that sentiment. This means we can accurately predict an outcome selected by the computer before the first variable is computed against the first rule.”
In other words, accuracy is human bias and for better analytics it should be reduced. To reduce bias, analytics’’ core elements must be examined: what is analyzed and what it is compared to. The article outlines the steps taken to help reduce bias and how it can improve a company’s standing, finance, etc. It look like that accuracy means adding the extra ingredient of love that grandma puts in her cookies, i.e. you have to care about it.
Whitney Grace, January 21, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
New Information Service About Sophisticated Food and Beverage Industry Trends
January 21, 2013
We are excited to share news about a new venture from the wonderful team behind Beyond Search, which will delve into coverage of sophisticated cuisine and beverages. The Gourmet De Ville blog is a free service for industry reference that will focus on cutting edge products, vendors, chefs, and bartenders in the field of innovative cuisine and beverages.
The service is run by members of the Beyond Search team, and will highlight industry trends, recipes, spirits, and food and beverage features. By putting the best information about artisan spirits and food in one compact, easy-to-access location, the blog will serve to help readers spend less time searching for information, and more time enjoying such fine food and beverages.
As the PRWeb News Release states, Stephen E. Arnold of Beyond Search commented on the need he saw for a curated Web service to provide high-value information about artisanal spirits and foods. He states:
“The demand for information about gourmet food, beverages, and experts is exploding. Louisville has emerged as a hot spot in these market sectors. Gourmet De Ville will collect a range of information designed to please the taste buds and the mind of discerning diners and drinkers as well as anyone interested in the food and beverage industry.”
The free service will feature four to five stories a day beginning January 21, 2013 at http://gourmetdeville.com. The site also features a search engine and a deep backfile of high-value information. For more information, contact gourmetdeville at yahoo dot com.
Andrea Hayden, January 21, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
Indiana University and a Big Data Set
January 20, 2013
Short honk: If you are looking for a big data set to show off your Big Data system, Indiana University can help. “Click Dataset” says:
To foster the study of the structure and dynamics of Web traffic networks, we make available a large dataset (‘Click Dataset’) of HTTP requests made by users at Indiana University. Gathering anonymized requests directly from the network rather than relying on server logs and browser instrumentation allows one to examine large volumes of traffic data while minimizing biases associated with other data sources.
There are some caveats, but for the firms with sci-fi type Big Data analytics’ systems, the issues should be irrelevant. “Truthy” in advertising? For companies with real world systems, the caveats are important.
Stephen E Arnold, January 20, 2013
Vaporware Does Not Make You Rich
January 20, 2013
HP bought Autonomy in hopes to turn a profit from the company’s software, but upon delving into Autonomy’s records HP discovered they had invested in vaporware. Read Write focuses on the “Vaporware Allegation Latest HP/Autonomy Twist.” Stanley Morrical is suing HP, because he does not believe the software exists and all HP has to do is prove that it bought $10.3 billion worth of marketable software. To cover a possible blunder, HP claims that Autonomy fooled them with creative accounting and information misrepresentation. Morrical states that HP is doing this to cover its own tracks for making a foolish purchase or a nonexistent purchase.
“While claiming to have IDOL 10 ready, HP actually had nothing to sell, Morrical is accusing. Essentially, he claims, IDOL 10 was vaporware.
‘You go out in the market and say it’s available and it’s not,’ Aron Liang, an associate at the San Francisco law firm Cotchett Pitre & McCarthy, which is representing Morrical, said. ‘So either they knew it and they’re lying or they don’t even know what they’re selling, which in some ways may even be worse.’
David Schubmehl, a tech analyst for International Data Group, said he was briefed on IDOL 10 in June. However, Schubmehl says he hasn’t talked to any companies using the software.
‘I can’t confirm that anyone is actually using IDOL 10,’ Schubmehl said. ‘However, I have had briefings about that back in June and it certainly seemed to be part of their big data offerings.’”
Nobody has used IDOL 10 it seems, so how could a company have $900 million in revenues from vaporware? Somebody here is lying, but HP and Autonomy are pointing the finger at the other person. Whose nose is really growing?
Whitney Grace, January 20, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
An Internet Tipping Point: Google Pays for Stuff
January 19, 2013
I don’t know if the news stories are true. I want to offer some observations before I forget them, however. First, read “Orange Boasts: We Made Google Pay for Us for Traffic” and the pundit analysis in this story, “Google Should Be Ashamed for Paying Carriers to Handle Its Traffic.”
In my personal experience, Google is an abstemious outfit. The firm has money, but it does not want others to get that money. If this is not your experience, my personal experience is an anomaly. That’s what makes horse races semi-interesting.
The point of the boasting story is that the France Telecom-Orange was able to get some money from Google. I find the French generous, open, and delightful. Therefore, I have some confidence that somewhere along the line, money changed hands. I believe that the French were on the receiving end of the payment for a number of reasons. Some have to do with legal issues, some with France’s correct perception that it must retain control of some aspects of intellectual life, and some with what I find as the warp and woof of Frenchiness.
Here’s the passage I noted:
what’s interesting here is Google paying actual money to France Telecom-Orange for the delivery of its data, which apparently now constitutes half of that consumed France Telecom-Orange customers around the world. “They pay us for the traffic that they send,” the company reaffirmed to El Reg when we checked, saying that the deal had been in place for at least a year and that the money is spent maintaining the network, implicitly ensuring that customers get quick access to Google content. Telcos have long said that Google and its ilk should be paying them to expedite delivery, and in the US Google managed to get (net neutrality) legislation passed, making it illegal to prioritise traffic, but Europe has been slower to jump to the Googleplex tune, so paying for access is easier.
The poobah write up focuses on shame. I am not sure how shame factors into business decisions by Googlers who much prefer math, market dominance, and ad revenue to the types of emotion my boxer Max shows when he snags a chicken leg from the picnic table. Max looks guilty but he drools. Money, chicken—both may work in a similar manner.
Here’s what the poobah offers:
This is really all about barriers to entry. If Google is paying a carrier such as Orange to handle its traffic better than it might otherwise be handled, then Orange has the incentive to demand the same from other content providers. Even if it does not, we hit the problem of telecoms network capacity being a zero-sum game – if it weren’t, Orange wouldn’t have any leverage here, short of blocking Google outright. In other words, Google has not only set a terrible precedent for up-and-coming mobile innovators, but it has also made it more likely that the quality of new services will be degraded over Orange’s networks — all so that the quality of Google’s services can be maintained. It’s probably not a deliberate tactic on Google’s part to disadvantage potential rivals, but it could sure work out that way. And for that alone, Google should hang its head in shame.
You figure out for yourself what the Google is doing.
My observations, before they slip from my 69 year old brain, are:
- Google has money. Google will use the money to get access, traffic, content, preferential treatment, and a good seat at a nice restaurant in Lyon.
- Companies without money or who are slow to write checks will be helping Google become the Internet. If money delivers access, Google can become more of the Internet than it already is. (I wrote about queries processed for mobile carriers which do not “go” to the public Internet. Google helpfully reduces latency with its nifty system. Google Version 2 is out of print, but perhaps someone will post a copy on a public download system. I don’t even have a copy anymore. Bad data management when I was incapacitated. The teenagers working for me don’t check their back ups. Sign.)
- Unless other competitors figure out how to get treatment comparable to Google’s when it pays money, those competitors are going to face hurdles different from those Google raised in 2001 to 2006. In short, the competitors will have to work harder to stay in the race.
Net net: If these stories are true. Google is now taking steps to become the Internet. Google can just pay whatever it takes to ride in first class. Maybe Google will own the jet? Why worry? I love Google.
Stephen E Arnold, January 19, 2013
Yandex Creates Powerful Facebook Search App
January 19, 2013
We know that Facebook is very protective of its services/ products and that their practices concerning user data are questionable. What will Facebook do, however, with Yandex’s new search app? Tech Crunch announced, “Russian Giant Yandex Has Secretly Built A Killer Facebook Search Engine App Codenamed ‘Wonder’.” The search engine app allows users to ask what content and businesses friends visited. Facebook prohibits search engines to use its data without permission. A spokesperson from Yandex was not able to comment on Wonder, but did confirm the company as interested in mining social data and building social products.
Wonder works by allowing its users to vocally search for information and it lists whether their friends have searched for it as well. Yandex so far has limited themselves to the Russian market, but Google and other competitors have eaten away at its revenue and so they are turning to other areas. Some areas are mobile, maps, and app discovery for services/products.
What does Facebook think about this? Facebook tried to allow its users to search friends’ content with Nearby. Also Wonder might use too much of Facebook’s user data and Facebook does not volunteer user information to search engines, which Wonder might do. Facebook is taking its own steps to get into search:
“CEO Mark Zuckerberg himself explained at TechCrunch Disrupt SF that Facebook is getting into search:
‘Search is interesting. I think search engines are really evolving to give you a set of answers’’ I have this specific question, answer this question for me.’ Facebook is pretty uniquely positioned to answer the questions people have. ; What sushi restaurants have my friends gone to in New York in the last six months and Liked?’ These are questions that you could potentially do at Facebook if we built out this system that you couldn’t do anywhere else. And at some point we’ll do it. We have a team working on search.’”
There are various options that Facebook could do with Wonder: buy it, make a joint partnership, grant permission, etc. but we will have to wait and see what will happen. We do know that users are demanding Facebook create a better search engine and Wonder is making them work faster to develop it.
Whitney Grace, January 19, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
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