NPD: October video game sales rise 1 percent (AP) : Technet

NPD: October video game sales rise 1 percent (AP)
Innovative irrigation system conjures water out of thin air (Yahoo! News)
Junior high app developer is a pre-teen tycoon in training (Yahoo! News)
Create Your Own Online Clothing Boutique, Earn 10% of Sales (Mashable)
Internet helps military connect to Main Street (AP)
Logitech CEO Says Google TV 'Cost Us Dearly' (NewsFactor)
Lawyer says call supports parents in missing baby case (Reuters)
Droid Razr is out - Amazon is selling it for $111.11 today (Digital Trends)
BSkyB Twitter feed reports James Murdoch arrested in phone-hacking case (The Cutline)
Why Android Phones Can't Compete on Specs (ContributorNetwork)
Game Theory: The producers of ngmoco discuss the future of mobile gaming (Appolicious)
Adobe Admits: Apple Won, Flash For Mobile is Done, HTML5 is the Future (Mashable)
Apple replacing 1st-generation iPod nanos due to overheating issue (Digital Trends)
Opinion: Amazon burns up Appleâ€™s iPad model with the Kindle Fire (Digital Trends)
Battery life fix out for new iPhone, Apple devices (AP)
China's Suning signs deal with IBM for e-commerce (Reuters)

NPD: October video game sales rise 1 percent (AP)

Posted: 11 Nov 2011 03:31 PM PST

– Fri Nov 11, 6:31 pm ET

NEW YORK – U.S. retail sales of video game hardware, software and accessories rose 1 percent to $1.08 billion in October, helped by sales of "Battlefield 3," market researcher NPD Group said Friday.

Hardware sales, which include game consoles such as the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii, rose 6 percent from October 2010 to $295.6 million.

Sales of software, or the video games themselves, rose 3 percent to $621.3 million.

That's well short of the 21 percent year-over-year increase that Cowen and Co. analyst Doug Creutz was expecting. Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter, meanwhile, was forecasting a 14 percent software sales growth.

When including PC games in addition to games for consoles and hand-held gaming devices such as the Nintendo DS, software sales rose 1 percent to $649.5 million.

"Battlefield 3," a military shooter from Electronic Arts Inc. was the month's best-selling game with just under 2 million units sold.

The year's biggest game, "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3" went on sale Nov. 8 so it's not counted in the current sales figures.

NPD does not include game downloads and online games played on Facebook and mobile devices in its monthly retail sales data.

Innovative irrigation system conjures water out of thin air (Yahoo! News)

Posted: 11 Nov 2011 05:27 PM PST

Junior high app developer is a pre-teen tycoon in training (Yahoo! News)

Posted: 11 Nov 2011 04:24 PM PST

Create Your Own Online Clothing Boutique, Earn 10% of Sales (Mashable)

Posted: 11 Nov 2011 03:04 PM PST

Lauren Indvik Lauren Indvik – Fri Nov 11, 6:04 pm ET

The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here. Name: StyleOwner

[More from Mashable: LazyMeter Could Make Your To-Do List a Done List]

Quick Pitch: Create your own online boutique and get a 10% cut of sales.

Genius Idea: You're stylish and influential. You have Klout. You've probably helped sell a clothing item or two through a recommendation you made over Facebook, Twitter or on your blog. Shouldn't you be getting a cut of those sales?

That's the premise behind StyleOwner, a Manhattan-based startup that lets users create online boutiques featuring merchandise from a range of 75 individual brands, as well as big-name retailers such as Saks and Nordstrom. Users can host their boutiques on styleowner.com and on their own blogs. For every sale made through their stores, users get a 10% cut (minus taxes, shipping and, where applicable, return costs).

The startup is helmed by an impressive crew: Joel Weingarten, who previously taught robotics at the University of Pennsylvania as a visiting research fellow; Jordana Silver, who worked in design and sales at Michael Kors for eight years; and Tracy Gardner, formerly the president of J Crew retail.

Weingarten says StyleOwner primarily targets three groups of users. The first group is made up of entrepreneurial 21-year-old college students and stay-at-home moms who are passionate about fashion and love to make recommendations to friends. The second group is composed of stylists and industry professionals who want to extend their personal shopping businesses. And the third group is fashion bloggers who want to start earning affiliate revenue on items they're already featuring on their blogs.

In addition to boutique owners, StyleOwner also gets a cut of each sale made. The startup raised $1.97 million in an angel round earlier this year from Accel Partners, Forerunner Ventures and a number of prominent individuals, including Andy Dunn of Bonobos. One thousand stores have been created to date. Now the company is focused on building out its feature set for store owners, including a mobile app.

Series Supported by Microsoft BizSpark

The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark, a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today.

This story originally published on Mashable here.

Internet helps military connect to Main Street (AP)

Posted: 11 Nov 2011 12:48 PM PST

LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press Lolita C. Baldor, Associated Press – Fri Nov 11, 3:48 pm ET

WASHINGTON – A nagging worry stumps military leaders in the waning days of two unpopular wars amid calls to drastically cut defense spending.

What can they do about the growing disconnect between the shrinking armed forces and the people they risk their lives to defend?

One answer being explored more broadly is the Internet.

On Friday, as the nation celebrated Veterans Day, First Lady Michelle Obama turned to Google to urge Americans to reach out to military families through a new set of tools that will let troops share their stories and connect with each other and the world.

"Each of us can do something to give back," Obama said in a video released on Google's new veterans channel on YouTube. Americans, she said, should show military families their service is appreciated to "truly serve those who serve us."

For the nation's 2.2 million soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines, there is a gap between the military and Main Street that keeps people from understanding their needs — from equipment and caring for the wounded to supporting the families of troops deployed for as long as 12 months at a time.

"I fear they do not know us," Adm. Mike Mullen, then-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the 2011 graduating class at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in May. "I fear they do not comprehend the full weight of the burden we carry or the price we pay when we return from battle."

The website showing Mrs. Obama's video also allows military members and veterans to upload videos, photos and memories to share their stories online. It also has tools to help draft a resume and connect with other veterans or prospective employers.

Interested people can also use the website to post videos of their own to thank service members.

The website is http://www.googleforveterans.com.

Logitech CEO Says Google TV 'Cost Us Dearly' (NewsFactor)

Posted: 11 Nov 2011 11:40 AM PST

Jennifer LeClaire, newsfactor.com Jennifer Leclaire, newsfactor.com – Fri Nov 11, 2:40 pm ET

Logitech is abandoning Google TV. But the electronics maker is doing more than discontinuing the Revue set top box, which runs the Google TV software. The company is making some startling admissions about its decision to partner with the search engine giant.

News reports are circulating around comments Logitech chairman and acting CEO Guerrino De Luca uttered at the company's Analyst and Investor Day on Wednesday.

De Luca, for example, reportedly said the Revue was a "mistake of implementation of a gigantic nature." He blamed Google, in part. De Luca said his firm "executed a full scale launch with a beta product and it cost us dearly."

"The Revue got terrible reviews, and for good reason -- relying on a wireless keyboard and clunky interface, the device offered a totally unpleasant user experience," De Luca told analysts and investors, according to The Verge. "Google is working on improving the technology. It has a ways to go."

Revue's Mixed Reviews

Logitech did get some positive spin. Wired magazine editors actually picked Logitech's Revue over Apple TV, Western Digital TV Live Hub Media Center and Seagate's GoFlex TV HD. The Revue sold for $99. But consumers weren't as always as kind.

"The Logitech Review is an after thought of Apple TV as it seems everything else is these days as well. Where Apple does a great job with the small remote that does so much, Logitech gives you a computer keyboard as if WEB TV was making a strong come back," a reviewer called Offshore48 wrote on Logitech's web site on Nov. 4.

"It works, it's not great, navigation is a hazard to you, and you have a huge keyboard that is larger than the largest remote they make. Obviously somebody thought this was a great idea and as of now the Logitech Revue is sitting idle on a shelf awaiting a less fortunate soul!"

Does Google Need Focus?

Rob Enderle, principal analyst at The Enderle Group, said Google just about put Logitech out of business and got its last CEO fired. In July, then-Logitech CEO Gerald Quindlen stepped down as the company's president and chief and resigned from the Board of Directors. De Luca, who had previously held the role from 1998 to 2008, stepped back onto the scene.

"Google has become one of the most problematic partners in the industry. Their lack of intellectual property protection has made the vast majority of its Android partners litigation targets," Enderle said. "The issue with Google TV and Logitech was a huge catastrophe for Logitech."

As Enderle sees it, the problem with the Revue was that Google didn't finish Google TV. Google, he said, shifted a significant percentage of the product and risk burden to its partners, which weren't equipped to absorb the risk.

"Steve Jobs said it best when he was talking to Larry Page. The problem is a lack of focus," Enderle said. "As a result their quality is appalling so they are putting everyone that trusts them at risk. If Google doesn't learn to focus they really won't survive. People will start avoiding them like the plague."

Lawyer says call supports parents in missing baby case (Reuters)

Posted: 12 Nov 2011 07:53 PM PST

– 1 hr 32 mins ago

KANSAS CITY, Mo (Reuters) – A call from a cell phone reportedly stolen the night Kansas City infant Lisa Irwin vanished from her home points to the innocence of the parents in her disappearance, their lawyer said Saturday night.

Investigators are still searching for Irwin, last seen when her mother, Deborah Bradley, said she put her to bed the evening of October 3. Lisa's father, Jeremy Irwin, said the girl was gone when he came home at 4 a.m. the next day.

The couple said their three cell phones were also missing. One phone was used at 11:57 p.m. October 3 to call the number of a woman the couple does not know, lawyer John Picerno said Saturday on the "Justice with Judge Jeanine" show on Fox News. The FBI told him of the call, Picerno said.

While police questioned Bradley and Irwin intensely about Lisa's disappearance, the couple insists their daughter and the cell phones were stolen. The cell phone call that night is important evidence, Picerno said.

"What it tells you is our clients are telling the truth," Picerno said. The caller never did reach the woman but a record of the call was logged, he said. The woman, identified by Picerno as Megan Wright, has told reporters she did not know Bradley nor Irwin and cannot explain the call.

Friday, on another Fox News show, "America Live with Megyn Kelly", Picerno said the FBI told him someone tried to access the voice mail and internet of the couple's phone at 3:17 and 3:32 a.m. October 4. That effort happened between one-fifth and one-third of a mile from the Irwin home, he said.

Police have not commented on details of the case.

(Editing by Greg McCune)

Droid Razr is out - Amazon is selling it for $111.11 today (Digital Trends)

Posted: 11 Nov 2011 08:34 AM PST

Jeffrey Van Camp Jeffrey Van Camp – Fri Nov 11, 11:34 am ET

The Motorola Droid Razr officially goes on sale at Verizon Wireless today. However, like Verizon's other high-speed, 4G LTE devices, the Droid Razr comes with a hefty $300 price tag (with a two-year contract). Penny pinchers, fear not. If you're new to Verizon, today you can get the Droid Razr for $111.11 from AmazonWireless. Unfortunately, the sale doesn't extend to current customers, but even for those of you renewing, Amazon has the Razr priced at a discounted $250.

The Droid Razr is one of the biggest phone releases of the year. It's claim to fame is its thin 7.1mm profile, which makes it the thinnest smartphone ever, and its supposed 12.5-hour talk time, meaning it might have better battery life than any other smartphone on the market as well. We can't verify that yet, but we do like Motorola's battery-saving software, like Smart Actions, a program that lets you tell the phone to turn on or off any feature based on things like if you arrive home, or time of day, etc. This means that you could set the Droid Razr to turn on Wi-Fi and turn off 4G data whenever you get home. There are a lot of fun possibilities.

The specs are fairly impressive. The Razr runs on Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), but will supposedly receive the Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) update within the next few months. It has 16GB of internal storage, a 16GB microSD card, is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, has 1GB of RAM, and the Super AMOLED Gorilla Glass screen is 4.3 inches and has a resolution of 540×960 pixels, which is pretty high. The 8MP rear camera doesn't appear as impressive. For more information check out this hardware overview video and this video about MotoCast and Smart Actions.

This article was originally posted on Digital Trends

Traditional Android doesn't work

The sneaky thing about Android is that while Google provides it for free, it basically owns the back end and most of the revenue opportunity that Apple is using to make money off the iPad.In effect, your normal Android licensee takes all the hardware risk, but gives up the majority of the profit potential to Google. Google just doesn't execute on that potential as aggressively as Apple does, or Amazon plans to. To redirect the stream of cash from the Kindle away from Google, Amazon started with an older version of Android, updated it, and basically forked the code to make it theirs.

In the old world, Microsoft sold the OS and made much of the profit. Google gave the OS away for free but seized most of the opportunity to sell to its users, even though it didn't seem to do much with it.Profit is the most important part of this new tablet world, and frankly any business world. Increasingly,the profit appears to come from what you do with the device, not the device itself, which is why Apple and Amazon are moving to own the entire software and services stack.

Barnes & Noble vs. Amazon vs. eBay?

If the value of the product isn't the product itself but what the product is used for, this would seem to benefit a vendor whose strength lies in those services.Both the Nook and initial Kindle were connected to e-book back ends and relatively balanced. However, Amazon is a full-featured vendor (you can pretty much get anything either directly or through affiliates that can be shipped through Amazon), while Barnes & Noble is still just a book reseller.With similar efforts,this means Amazon should be both able to sell its product for less and make more money from it, suggesting that over time Barnes & Noble will be aced out if it can't expand its retail breadth.

Companies that live off of some form of Internet retailing could go the same way.I can imagine an eBay tablet, for instance, with tuned services tied back to eBay's various retail offerings, or even a Best Buy tablet that mirrors the Kindle Fire in many ways. They would all come at aggressive prices, and largely tied to the services the firm branding them provides.

Just the beginning

We've gone from packaged products to advertising-supported offerings, and now to offerings that are funded by their dedication to some retail back end or secondary revenue stream.We are already seeing "blends," with some Kindles being further subsidized by advertising and expected to approach free, which is somewhat unique in hardware.In the end, we are just at the beginning of this.In the future, you wonder if TVs might be tied more closely to certain retailers, who then will own more of the advertising and retail revenue streams in exchange for a cheaper set.

In the end, conversations about which sports team you support may change to which retailer owns your eyeballs. At that point, I begin to wonder if this trend is ultimately a good thing.I guess we'll find out.

One final thought: Amazon is redefining the tablet world so that it better fits Amazon's model.I can recall another vendor doing that with MP3 players a few years back, and that was with the iPod and Apple.

Guest contributor Rob Enderle is the founder and principal analyst for the Enderle Group, and one of the most frequently quoted tech pundits in the world. Opinion pieces denote the opinions of the author, and do not necessarily represent the views of Digital Trends.

This article was originally posted on Digital Trends

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Saturday, November 12, 2011