Two months into testing a program for promoting sponsored applications in Facebook’s iOS and Android applications, the social network has opened the service to all developers.
Now officially titled “mobile app install ads,” the units allow application makers to buy prominent exposure for their apps in the mobile News Feed.
The ads appear in the stream with a subtle “sponsored” label (as pictured right), and allow Facebook members to click through to Apple’s App Store or the Google Play marketplace to purchase or download a promoted app.
“With these new ads, mobile apps and games of all sizes across any category can reach the right audience, at scale,” Facebook engineer Vijaye Raji wrote in a blog post Wednesday. “TinyCo saw 50% higher CTRs and significantly higher conversion rates compared to their current mobile channels, as well as a significant increase in player engagement.”
Raji said other beta partners such as Kabam, Fab, Big Fish, and Nanigans also experienced higher engagement rates and better reach to more relevant users.
Now that the units are openly available, they will either allow the social network to address its mobile monetization issues or alienate members who’ve not yet noticed a stream of ads cluttering their mobile News Feeds. The task at hand is especially important now that nearly 20 percent of Facebook’s mobile users skip the website altogether. Facebook has 600 million monthly active mobile users.
Facebook today also promised developers substantial improvements to the ad units in the coming months. The ability for end users to install apps without leaving Facebook’s app, the option to customize the ad based on audience type, and the choice to show ads to people who have not installed an app were all cited as examples.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Housing in the US rebounds.
By Jeffry Bartash, MarketWatch
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch)
U.S. home builders broke new ground in September at the fastest pace in more than four years and permits also rose sharply in the strongest sign yet that recovery in the construction trade is becoming firmly entrenched.
Construction on new homes accelerated by 15% to an annual rate of 872,000 last month from a revised 758,000 in August, the Commerce Department said. The increase easily surpassed the 770,000 estimate of economists surveyed by MarketWatch.
ECONOMY AND POLITICS
Obama regains footing
Barack Obama and Mitt Romney hold a spirited debate in their second matchup, with the president giving a more feisty showing than in their first duel.
• Home building surges
• Consumer inflation jumps
• Builder sentiment at 6-yr high
• Political Watch blog
• U.S. economic calendar
• Global economic calendar
• Columns: Nutting | Delamaide
• Follow @MKTWEconomics
Work on new single-family homes, which account for about three-quarters of the housing market, rose 11% last month.
Construction on multi-dwelling units such as condos and townhouses climbed an even faster 25%, but that’s a category that can swing sharply from month to month and is thus less an indicator of overall housing demand.
The number of permits requested, however, underscores the likelihood that the housing market’s recovery is finally for real after a nearly six-year slump.
Building permits also shot up to a four-year high, rising 11.6% to an annual rate of 894,000. August’s permits were revised down slightly, to 801,000.
Permits for single-family homes rose 6.7% to an annualized 545,000 rate last month, while multi-dwelling permits increased 20.3% to 349,000.
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To enjoy our complete interactive experience, please download a free copy of the latest version of Adobe Flash Player here.
Housing party is just getting started
PNC Financial Services Group chief economist Stuart Hoffman takes a look at the housing starts and permits gains with Alisa Parenti in MarketWatch News Break.
In September, housing starts rose in all regions except the Northeast, with construction strongest in West and South. Both regions saw about a 20% jump in new construction.
Before this year the nation’s construction industry had been stuck in its worst slump in the modern era, following the collapse of a housing bubble in 2006.
Super-low interest rates, a modestly improved economy and a receding foreclosure crisis have all contributed to the upward shift in the demand for new homes.
Yet even though the pace of construction is nearly 35% higher compared to a year ago, construction activity overall remains considerably shrunken from its pre-bubble heyday. Before the bust, housing starts surpassed 2 million a year; they would probably top 1.5 million annually if the economy were fully recovered.
Going forward, home sales and construction could still be partly depressed by a slow growing U.S. economy and a high unemployment rate that limits the number of prospective buyers. The jobless rate is 7.8%.
“How far can the rebound go with unemployment where it is?” asked Steve Blitz, chief economist of ITG Investment Research. “From our perspective, not much farther.”
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch)
U.S. home builders broke new ground in September at the fastest pace in more than four years and permits also rose sharply in the strongest sign yet that recovery in the construction trade is becoming firmly entrenched.
Construction on new homes accelerated by 15% to an annual rate of 872,000 last month from a revised 758,000 in August, the Commerce Department said. The increase easily surpassed the 770,000 estimate of economists surveyed by MarketWatch.
ECONOMY AND POLITICS
Obama regains footing
Barack Obama and Mitt Romney hold a spirited debate in their second matchup, with the president giving a more feisty showing than in their first duel.
• Home building surges
• Consumer inflation jumps
• Builder sentiment at 6-yr high
• Political Watch blog
• U.S. economic calendar
• Global economic calendar
• Columns: Nutting | Delamaide
• Follow @MKTWEconomics
Work on new single-family homes, which account for about three-quarters of the housing market, rose 11% last month.
Construction on multi-dwelling units such as condos and townhouses climbed an even faster 25%, but that’s a category that can swing sharply from month to month and is thus less an indicator of overall housing demand.
The number of permits requested, however, underscores the likelihood that the housing market’s recovery is finally for real after a nearly six-year slump.
Building permits also shot up to a four-year high, rising 11.6% to an annual rate of 894,000. August’s permits were revised down slightly, to 801,000.
Permits for single-family homes rose 6.7% to an annualized 545,000 rate last month, while multi-dwelling permits increased 20.3% to 349,000.
The version of Adobe Flash Player required to view this interactive has not been found.
To enjoy our complete interactive experience, please download a free copy of the latest version of Adobe Flash Player here.
Housing party is just getting started
PNC Financial Services Group chief economist Stuart Hoffman takes a look at the housing starts and permits gains with Alisa Parenti in MarketWatch News Break.
In September, housing starts rose in all regions except the Northeast, with construction strongest in West and South. Both regions saw about a 20% jump in new construction.
Before this year the nation’s construction industry had been stuck in its worst slump in the modern era, following the collapse of a housing bubble in 2006.
Super-low interest rates, a modestly improved economy and a receding foreclosure crisis have all contributed to the upward shift in the demand for new homes.
Yet even though the pace of construction is nearly 35% higher compared to a year ago, construction activity overall remains considerably shrunken from its pre-bubble heyday. Before the bust, housing starts surpassed 2 million a year; they would probably top 1.5 million annually if the economy were fully recovered.
Going forward, home sales and construction could still be partly depressed by a slow growing U.S. economy and a high unemployment rate that limits the number of prospective buyers. The jobless rate is 7.8%.
“How far can the rebound go with unemployment where it is?” asked Steve Blitz, chief economist of ITG Investment Research. “From our perspective, not much farther.”
Apple makes a move, removing Java applet from OSX.
Further pushing toward the idea of a plugin-free internet,
Apple has issued an update to Java for OS X that removes the Java applet plugin. Attempting to use a Java applet through any OS X web browser will now prompt users to download the latest version directly from Java maker Oracle.
This is not the first time Apple has stopped shipping a specific browser plugin with their computers. With OS X Lion, users discovered that their Macs no longer came with Adobe’s oft-derided Flash Player plugin due to its instability and security issues. Apple has long held browser plugins in contempt, especially following the success of iOS, which hasn’t supported browser plugins at all in the past six years.
Just about every Mac Trojan/vulnerability over recent months and years has been related to outdated Java code. This move should close off those attack vectors.
iOS 6. Some things to keep in mind.
Posted by David Harley
Stop me if you’ve heard this before…
Bill Ray points out for The Register that Apple has quietly reintroduced user tracking for advertisers in iOS 6, though Identification For Advertisers (IFA), which allows advertisers to improve their targeted advertising, isn’t quite the same as UDID (Unique Device IDentifier) and is easy enough to turn off if you know where to look for it. (Unlike UDID, which couldn’t be toggled by the user.) Assuming that you prefer to avoid targeted advertising, of course, which is apparently the preference of 66% of Americans. It depends, I guess, on how much you want those services that are economically dependent or semi-dependent on their advertisers. It’s hard to be sociable online these days without using those services. Maybe I’ll come back to that in a future blog.
Stop me if you’ve heard this before…
Bill Ray points out for The Register that Apple has quietly reintroduced user tracking for advertisers in iOS 6, though Identification For Advertisers (IFA), which allows advertisers to improve their targeted advertising, isn’t quite the same as UDID (Unique Device IDentifier) and is easy enough to turn off if you know where to look for it. (Unlike UDID, which couldn’t be toggled by the user.) Assuming that you prefer to avoid targeted advertising, of course, which is apparently the preference of 66% of Americans. It depends, I guess, on how much you want those services that are economically dependent or semi-dependent on their advertisers. It’s hard to be sociable online these days without using those services. Maybe I’ll come back to that in a future blog.
IE 10 is almost here.
Microsoft says it will provide a preview version of Internet Explorer 10 for Windows 7 users in mid-November. The software maker has been suspiciously quiet about its Internet Explorer plans for Windows 7, always promising that the latest version, available in Windows 8, would make its way to the operating system.
In a company blog post, Microsoft's Rob Mauceri explains that a final version will follow after the company has collected developer and customer feedback. "IE10 brings improved real-world site performance and additional standards support to Windows 7 that Web developers have been asking for," says Mauceri. "IE10 on Windows 7 has the same standards based platform for developers to target as IE10 on Windows 8."
It's not clear why the company has opted to ship a preview version instead of final code for web developers. Initial reaction from the comments on Microsoft's blog post suggest that some developers were expecting a final release soon, rather than a preview. "Why preview?" asks one. "We want to develop optimized sites now!" Another says "I thought IE10 rtm would be out on 26th oct along with windows 8. Not happy microsoft!"
In a company blog post, Microsoft's Rob Mauceri explains that a final version will follow after the company has collected developer and customer feedback. "IE10 brings improved real-world site performance and additional standards support to Windows 7 that Web developers have been asking for," says Mauceri. "IE10 on Windows 7 has the same standards based platform for developers to target as IE10 on Windows 8."
It's not clear why the company has opted to ship a preview version instead of final code for web developers. Initial reaction from the comments on Microsoft's blog post suggest that some developers were expecting a final release soon, rather than a preview. "Why preview?" asks one. "We want to develop optimized sites now!" Another says "I thought IE10 rtm would be out on 26th oct along with windows 8. Not happy microsoft!"
More EV's. More Toyota.
The question is, are other car manufacturers paying close enough attention?
Toyota to bring Scion iQ EV to U.S.
Toyota is bringing its Scion iQ EV battery- electric four-seater city commuter car to the U.S. for car-sharing programs.
The iQ EV features Toyota’s newly developed high-output lithium-ion battery which delivers an electric power consumption rate of 104 Wh/km in a compact and lightweight package. In ideal stop and go driving conditions, the 12 kWh battery provides an estimated range of up to 50 miles on a full charge. The vehicle can be fully charged in approximately three hours at 240V. Its 78-inch wheel base and 13.5 foot turning radius makes the iQ EV highly maneuverable in congested areas where streets are narrow and parking is at a premium.
“Approximately 90 iQ EVs will be available for fleet and car-sharing applications,” said Hostetter. “These programs will further expand Toyota’s comprehensive portfolio of advanced technology vehicles which includes the recently-released RAV4 EV, the Prius Family of gas-electric hybrid vehicles, including the Prius Plug-in Hybrid, and the FCHV-Adv (Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle-Advanced).”
The iQ EV is replete with energy conserving features such as regenerative braking, heat pump air conditioning with a pre-conditioning option, LED high-mounted stop light, heated front seats, and a heated windshield defroster.
The iQ EV is equipped with a timer to match charge completion time with the time the vehicle will actually be driven, to help reduce battery degradation. In addition, there are three driving modes to select from: D range controls the vehicle to use the least amount of power during city driving; S range increases acceleration performance for brisker driving; and a B range that maximizes regenerative braking efficiency. Maximum output from the drivetrain is 47 kW (63 hp) with a maximum torque of 120 lbs.-ft. In S range the iQ EV accelerates from zero to 60 mph in 13.4 seconds, and from 30 to 50 mph in seven seconds. Its top speed is 78 mph.
The iQ EV’s styling resembles something from Lego Land. The front bumper contains the charging port lid which emphasizes the EV’s iconic lack of an upper grille. Two exterior colors are available: Silver and Super Red.
The interior features a high-contrast black and white color scheme with metallic and ice-blue accents. There is a leather wrapped steering wheel and white steering pad cover, the contoured center console symbolizes the battery mounted below the floor and the plug patterned seat fabric with blueish-grey and white stitching completes the iconic theme.
Toyota to bring Scion iQ EV to U.S.
Toyota is bringing its Scion iQ EV battery- electric four-seater city commuter car to the U.S. for car-sharing programs.
The iQ EV features Toyota’s newly developed high-output lithium-ion battery which delivers an electric power consumption rate of 104 Wh/km in a compact and lightweight package. In ideal stop and go driving conditions, the 12 kWh battery provides an estimated range of up to 50 miles on a full charge. The vehicle can be fully charged in approximately three hours at 240V. Its 78-inch wheel base and 13.5 foot turning radius makes the iQ EV highly maneuverable in congested areas where streets are narrow and parking is at a premium.
“Approximately 90 iQ EVs will be available for fleet and car-sharing applications,” said Hostetter. “These programs will further expand Toyota’s comprehensive portfolio of advanced technology vehicles which includes the recently-released RAV4 EV, the Prius Family of gas-electric hybrid vehicles, including the Prius Plug-in Hybrid, and the FCHV-Adv (Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle-Advanced).”
The iQ EV is replete with energy conserving features such as regenerative braking, heat pump air conditioning with a pre-conditioning option, LED high-mounted stop light, heated front seats, and a heated windshield defroster.
The iQ EV is equipped with a timer to match charge completion time with the time the vehicle will actually be driven, to help reduce battery degradation. In addition, there are three driving modes to select from: D range controls the vehicle to use the least amount of power during city driving; S range increases acceleration performance for brisker driving; and a B range that maximizes regenerative braking efficiency. Maximum output from the drivetrain is 47 kW (63 hp) with a maximum torque of 120 lbs.-ft. In S range the iQ EV accelerates from zero to 60 mph in 13.4 seconds, and from 30 to 50 mph in seven seconds. Its top speed is 78 mph.
The iQ EV’s styling resembles something from Lego Land. The front bumper contains the charging port lid which emphasizes the EV’s iconic lack of an upper grille. Two exterior colors are available: Silver and Super Red.
The interior features a high-contrast black and white color scheme with metallic and ice-blue accents. There is a leather wrapped steering wheel and white steering pad cover, the contoured center console symbolizes the battery mounted below the floor and the plug patterned seat fabric with blueish-grey and white stitching completes the iconic theme.
Are tablets alive and well? Yes I should think so.
The world of PC's might come to a standstill.
Computerworld - Microsoft has exhausted its initial supply of the lowest-priced Surface RT tablet, which now is backordered by three weeks.
On Wednesday, the company's pre-order website noted, "Order now for shipment within 3 weeks" for the $499 32GB tablet.
That model lacks a cover-cum-keyboard.
Microsoft yesterday kicked off pre-orders for the Surface RT, its first entry into tablet design and manufacturing. The Surface RT comes in three configurations: a 32GB model at $499, a 32GB device with a Touch Cover for $599, and a 64GB model with that same cover at $699. Touch Covers are also available separately for $119.99, and the Type Cover, a slightly thicker keyboard with key travel more like that of a lightweight notebook, costs $129.99.
Microsoft's Surface RT pricing 'aggressive,' 'mystifying,' say analysts
Why Acer is wrong about Microsoft Surface
Microsoft 10-K confirms Surface will ship on Oct. 26
Microsoft acknowledges Surface may trigger OEM hostility
First release of Surface tablets to be Wi-Fi-only, sources say
Microsoft Surface tablets may not match iPad battery life
FAQ: What we don't know about Microsoft's Surface tablet
QuickPoll: Can the Microsoft Surface successfully take on the iPad?
Microsoft's Surface tablet no threat to Apple's iPad
LG puts tablet development on hold
More on Surface
The two higher-priced SKUs, or stock-keeping units, remain available for delivery by Oct. 26, the official launch date for Windows 8, its spinoff Windows RT, and hardware powered by both new operating systems.
Although the entry-level Surface RT was out of stock Wednesday, the Type Cover -- which one might expect would be ordered alongside the keyboard-less tablet -- was not. Orders for the Type Cover will be fulfilled by Oct. 26, Microsoft said.
Customers may be opting for the lowest-priced model -- and passing on a keyboard -- simply to save dollars.
"The entry-level product includes no typing solution and is pretty transparently an opening price point gambit," said Stephen Baker, an analyst with the NPD Group. "But there's no way to know how many people bought, or didn't buy, one of the covers."
In other words, Baker continued, don't read too much into either the backorder or the fact that the two covers are still available.
Even so, he was surprised that Microsoft offered a cover-less Surface RT. "To some extent, without a [Touch or Type] Cover, then the Surface is just another tablet," Baker said. "With a cover, it's both a consumption and creation device."
Ever since June, when Microsoft unveiled its Surface project -- which also includes a Windows 8 Pro-powered tablet set to ship in late January 2013 -- the company has aggressively promoted the cover-slash-keyboard. In its opening television advertisement for the Surface, which ran Monday night in the U.S., Microsoft almost exclusively focused on the cover.
"Given the focus of the product, Microsoft's concept was, 'This is a new kind of tablet, a new kind of notebook. It's either one and both at the same time,'" said Baker. By offering a Surface RT minus a cover, Baker argued, Microsoft was muddying that message.
"They could have set $599 as the opening price," Baker said, referring to the 32GB Surface RT that does include a Touch Cover.
He was also dismissive of any interpretation of the quick sell-out of the $499 model. "[Sell-outs] don't ever really mean anything," he said. "They could have made just 10 of them, then said, 'We're out!'"
Nonetheless, out-of-stock reports are not uncommon, especially for new devices. Availability of Apple's products, particularly the iPhone and iPad, sometimes even its Mac notebooks, are regularly tracked by the technology media and bloggers as one of the few available clues to sales.
Microsoft may mention the Surface RT, and perhaps hint at early sales, during its upcoming quarterly earnings call with Wall Street analysts. The conference call, which will cover the quarter that ended Sept. 30, is slated to start Thursday at 5:30 p.m. ET.
Computerworld - Microsoft has exhausted its initial supply of the lowest-priced Surface RT tablet, which now is backordered by three weeks.
On Wednesday, the company's pre-order website noted, "Order now for shipment within 3 weeks" for the $499 32GB tablet.
That model lacks a cover-cum-keyboard.
Microsoft yesterday kicked off pre-orders for the Surface RT, its first entry into tablet design and manufacturing. The Surface RT comes in three configurations: a 32GB model at $499, a 32GB device with a Touch Cover for $599, and a 64GB model with that same cover at $699. Touch Covers are also available separately for $119.99, and the Type Cover, a slightly thicker keyboard with key travel more like that of a lightweight notebook, costs $129.99.
Microsoft's Surface RT pricing 'aggressive,' 'mystifying,' say analysts
Why Acer is wrong about Microsoft Surface
Microsoft 10-K confirms Surface will ship on Oct. 26
Microsoft acknowledges Surface may trigger OEM hostility
First release of Surface tablets to be Wi-Fi-only, sources say
Microsoft Surface tablets may not match iPad battery life
FAQ: What we don't know about Microsoft's Surface tablet
QuickPoll: Can the Microsoft Surface successfully take on the iPad?
Microsoft's Surface tablet no threat to Apple's iPad
LG puts tablet development on hold
More on Surface
The two higher-priced SKUs, or stock-keeping units, remain available for delivery by Oct. 26, the official launch date for Windows 8, its spinoff Windows RT, and hardware powered by both new operating systems.
Although the entry-level Surface RT was out of stock Wednesday, the Type Cover -- which one might expect would be ordered alongside the keyboard-less tablet -- was not. Orders for the Type Cover will be fulfilled by Oct. 26, Microsoft said.
Customers may be opting for the lowest-priced model -- and passing on a keyboard -- simply to save dollars.
"The entry-level product includes no typing solution and is pretty transparently an opening price point gambit," said Stephen Baker, an analyst with the NPD Group. "But there's no way to know how many people bought, or didn't buy, one of the covers."
In other words, Baker continued, don't read too much into either the backorder or the fact that the two covers are still available.
Even so, he was surprised that Microsoft offered a cover-less Surface RT. "To some extent, without a [Touch or Type] Cover, then the Surface is just another tablet," Baker said. "With a cover, it's both a consumption and creation device."
Ever since June, when Microsoft unveiled its Surface project -- which also includes a Windows 8 Pro-powered tablet set to ship in late January 2013 -- the company has aggressively promoted the cover-slash-keyboard. In its opening television advertisement for the Surface, which ran Monday night in the U.S., Microsoft almost exclusively focused on the cover.
"Given the focus of the product, Microsoft's concept was, 'This is a new kind of tablet, a new kind of notebook. It's either one and both at the same time,'" said Baker. By offering a Surface RT minus a cover, Baker argued, Microsoft was muddying that message.
"They could have set $599 as the opening price," Baker said, referring to the 32GB Surface RT that does include a Touch Cover.
He was also dismissive of any interpretation of the quick sell-out of the $499 model. "[Sell-outs] don't ever really mean anything," he said. "They could have made just 10 of them, then said, 'We're out!'"
Nonetheless, out-of-stock reports are not uncommon, especially for new devices. Availability of Apple's products, particularly the iPhone and iPad, sometimes even its Mac notebooks, are regularly tracked by the technology media and bloggers as one of the few available clues to sales.
Microsoft may mention the Surface RT, and perhaps hint at early sales, during its upcoming quarterly earnings call with Wall Street analysts. The conference call, which will cover the quarter that ended Sept. 30, is slated to start Thursday at 5:30 p.m. ET.
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