Facebook is happy in the knowledge that they have won $873 million in damages against a Canadian man who sent 4 million spam emails to the users of the social network. Facebook should not open the Champagne just yet, as spammer Adam Guerbuez of Montreal, has not been found.
This means that he will not be able to pay the $873 million fine, but it is hoped that this judgment will deter future spammers from doing the same thing. Guerbuez had managed to acquire Facebook emails through a number of phishing techniques.
In the emails members of the social network site saw ads for penis enlargements as well as other similar products. Although there is a huge amount of resources for eradicating spam, the technology that is currently available will not fully remove the risk of spam on Facebook.
The new Sonim XP3 Enduro rugged mobile phone has been announced by Sonim Technologies and is advertised as the world’s only rugged and fully submersible GSM mobile handset.
The Sonim XP3 is tougher than the original Somin XP1 although most of the specs are still the same and it can withstand more drops and shocks than the XP1 and also be completely submerged under water for up to thirty minutes, and is certified to withstand being dropped from two metres high onto concrete.
Boasting IP-57 protection the Sonim XP3 is designated with a military grade rating of 810F for humidity, transport and thermal shock, fog and salt and temperatures from minus 20C to plus 60C, and will be available in November 08 with a price tag of about EUR 290.
Video below
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) have banned a Apple iPhone 3G TV campaign after regulators branded it as misleading consumers over the speed the iPhone 3G can access the internet.
This is the second time Apple (AAPL) has breached the advertising code regarding the iPhone. The first ban was back in August over the original first generation iPhone.
TBWA/London are the advertising agency behind Apple’s latest TV campaign, in the ad if shows the iPhone 3G with speedy visuals giving the impression the iPhone is actually accessing and browsing the internet at the same speed, and a voice-over continually saying, iPhone 3G “really fast”.
However, Apple has claimed that the ad was just showing you the difference between the first generation iPhone and the latest iPhone 3G, and that the ad was “relative rather than absolute in nature”.
The ASA have told Apple that the ad must never appear again in its current form due to it being misleading.
As Black Friday is almost upon us, it is now time to do some homework. Big stores such as Sears are offering you the chance to have a sneak peak at some of their deals, which is invaluable information, as you can decide what it is you want in the store before you queue up outside.
There are so many offers on at Sears that it is hard to know which we should talk about. The Black Friday Deals range from Consumer Electronics, Clothing, Gadgets, Jewelry, Home Appliances and much more. The Sears sale is from Friday to Saturday and has over 450 doorbuster deals.
Some deals that look extra special are, Sharp LS46SB54U 46 Inch Full HD 1080p LCD TV for just $899.99, that’s a $500 saving, how about a Sony PlayStation 3 80GB for just $399. I have been on a number of websites showing their Black Friday deals, but Sears has to be the best so far. It is like an online book where you click the next button to turn the page.
The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic handset is set to hit India markets by either the end of December or early January 2009 announced Nokia. Furthermore, Nokia has announced their tie in with Indian record labels Big Music, Yashraj, Tseries and many others to offer alongside the music world’s giants Sony BMG, Warner, Universal and EMI.
Executive Vice-President, Nokia, Anssi Vanjoki, said: “Mobile music will continue to be a key priority area for Nokia in 2009 and our strategy is aimed at developing the market for mobile music by following a partnership driven model that enriches consumer experience with innovative devices, accessories and local content.”
It is also Nokia’s intention to tie up with the Indian Music Industry comprising of 150 music companies, and the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic will be in India for Rs 21,839.
Apple are about to step up the game in attracting potential shoppers cash in the run up to Christmas as they have now told retail store staff that they now have the authority to match the prices of rival retailers.
Apple stores have also cancelled all regular Black Friday events and posted holiday purchasing tips on Apple’s retail web page. This move can be seen as an attempt to draw the festive season customers as Apple traditionally never discount their products except on Black Friday.
Of course this price matching does come with the need for the customer to provide proof of a competitors pricing before any Apple price match, and it is unclear whether Apple will publicly announce their price matching through the Apple web site or advertising.
Netflix and Blockbuster offer the same service for customers, and that is to provide them with the latest DVD rentals. However; they both have different visions in how they do this, as we know Netflix customers can pay as little as $5 per month, this allows them to watch as many DVD’s in that month as they like.
Blockbuster is different, as the customers have to do all the hard work and visit one of their stores to get their DVD rental. Customers have to pay for each movie that they watch. Both companies are now moving their business models online, we know that Netflix has offered unlimited streaming online to computers, but now they are moving in to your living rooms by offering their service on TiVo’s, Xbox 360 as well as a Netflix box from Roku.
Blockbuster have got together with 2Wire, they will provide a set top box which is connected to the Internet, where you will be able to watch movie rentals. The 2Wire MediaPoint will cost $99, and included in that price is a credit of 25 movie rentals. The rental price per movie starts at $1.99, which is for older titles. Once you have paid for a movie rental, you will have 30 days to watch it.
If you own an Apple iPhone the last thing you want is to have cords running from it to your headphones, and so Wi-Gear has brought out iMuffs MB220 for the Apple iPhone, optimised wireless headphones.
iMuffs uses the Bluetooth 2.0 A2DP, AVRCP hands-free and headset protocol and employs Sub-Band Codec at a bit rate of 328kb/s. iMuffs’ rechargeable battery brings the iPhoner up to 20 hours of music depending on usage.
iMuffs for the Apple iPhone are designed to be worn behind the neck and weight 2.2 ounces with the ability to be charged via any computer USB port or via the included travel charger and is available late November with a price tag of $149.99.
Opera have now released a new version of their mobile browser software, Opera Mini 4.2 is said to be much faster than previous versions and also offers support for the Android based G1. The new browser software is now available for download.
If you are the owner of a T-Mobile G1, then you will be able to download Opera Mini 4.2 from the Android Market. This is the first alternative browser for G1 users, so now you have a different choice to Chrome light, the browser than came pre-loaded on your T-Mobile handset.
Opera Mini 4.2 has a number of enhancements; these include support for 90 languages, new skins, better mobile video support, as well as the ability to sync browsing history, bookmarks and notes with other devices.
BrightTalk is hosting a Conversational Marketing Summit asked me to present. At 3:00pm Pacific Time on November 24th, 2008 I talked about Social Media and Search and how your search engine marketing efforts can benefit from social media marketing.
I’ve embedded my presentation right here so you can watch it. If you’re reading this after the event, then you can still be able to view the presentation.
Here are all the details of the Conversational Marketing Summit:
WHAT:Conversational Marketing Summit hosted by BrightTALK™
At this online summit, experts will share information on trends in social media marketing, answer questions, and offer strategies and tips to business professionals. Among the topics the speakers will address are corporate blogging, search, social networking, mobile marketing, email marketing, and how to use Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and Twitter to start the conversation. BrightTALK hosts live webcast summits each week around themes that matter to business professionals.
WHEN:Monday and Tuesday, November 24-25, 2008 WHO: Presenters at the Conversational Marketing Summit include:
Bill Hartzer, search engine marketing manager at Vizion Interactive
Brad Hanks, master instructor at Council of Real Estate Brokerage Managers; CEO of Brad Hanks Seminars
Chris Kenton, CEO of SocialRep
Dave Evans, CEO of Digital Voodoo
Edward Weatherall, managing director at Concept Ltd
Ian Lurie, president of Portent Interactive
James Miller, vice president, technology industry at BrightTALK
Jerry Hart, principal and vice president of sales and marketing for Power to be Found
Jennifer Carole, director of the worldwide teen lab at Alcatel-Lucent
Jennifer Jacobson, author of 42 Rules of Social Media for Business
Kate Brodock, principal at The Other Side Group
Laura Lowell, author of 42 Rules of Marketing; principal of Impact Marketing Group
Linda Pophal, owner and CEO of Strategic Communications
Loren McDonald, vice president of industry relations at Silverpop
Malcolm Friedberg, marketing automation expert
Mary Lou Roberts, instructor at Harvard Extension Program; author at DIY-Marketing
Michael Kurtzman managing director of mobile advertising at Sybase 365
Rajiv Parikh, CEO of Position2
Sundeep Kapur, online marketing strategist at www.emailyogi.com and NCR Corporation
Will Schnabel, vice president of international markets at Silverpop
