Facebook and Mobile Ads – Charles Edward Krasny Ergen

Facebook announced that Advertisers spent $1.95 billion on Facebook mobile ads in the third quarter, which was about 66% of its total ad revenue during the quarter.  Advertising revenue at the company totaled $2.96 billion. Mobile ad revenue, a closely watched figure, was $1.95 billion.

The social network is increasingly focused on catering to mobile consumers because that’s increasingly how its audience interacts with the social network. Facebook has 1.12 billion mobile active users, and 456 million of them, roughly 34% of Facebook’s overall user base, only access the social network through mobile apps or mobile versions of its web site.

Wall Street expects Facebook to post earnings of $0.40 a share on revenue of $3.12 billion, according to a survey of analysts by Thomson Reuters Eikon. Facebook’s stock price rose more than 30 percent in the last six months.

Facebook had 1.35 billion average monthly users as of Sept. 30, an increase of 14 percent from a year earlier.

Daily users totaled 864 million, up 19 percent. Mobile monthly active users, meanwhile, were 1.12 billion, up 29 percent from a year earlier.

 

 

SK Telecom sues Viber – Charles Edward Krasny Ergen

SK Telecom Co has filed a lawsuit against Viber (mobile messenger) earlier this year for infringement on four patents held by the company. The founder and CEO of Viber, Talmon Marco claimed that SK Telecom’s move is to “stop companies like Viber and Kakao Talk from operating and force all Korean users back to short-message-services.”

Viber was launched in 2010 and let’s the users text and call friends for free. The application is available on most major platforms including Android, IOS, Blackberry and Windows 8.

SK Telecom Co is the South Korea’s No. 1 mobile carrier established on March 29, 1984  under the name Korea Mobile Telecommunications Services Corp.

SoftBank to invest $10bn in India – Charles Edward Krasny Ergen

Softbank (Japanese telecom & internet giant) announced its intent to invest $10 billion in India over the next few years.  The mammoth investment plan from SoftBank comes at a time when privately held Indian consumer tech companies are witnessing soaring valuations and seeing investors line up expecting high returns.

Softbank is looking for opportunities in fast-growing e-commerce and telecom sectors in India and already has made investments in Indian companies like InMobi and Hike. During his trip in India, Softbank Chairman Masayoshi Son has also requested the minister to sort out the spectrum issues and develop a robust mobile phone infrastructure in the country especially 4G services.

Softbank also formed a mobile internet venture with Bharti Enterprises and currently operates Hike (mobile messaging app), Tiny Mogul Games (mobile gaming) and Hoppr (location-based deals).

 

 

 

Ex-Google Launches Digital Health Start-up – Charles Edward Krasny Ergen

Stephanie Tilenius created a digital health start-up named Vida to fight chronic disease by providing consumers with a personalized programs that help prevent diabetes, lose weight or manage cancer treatments, under the supervision of an experienced coach.

Vida is available throught Apple app store for $45 a month. Stephanie Tilenius is going straight to patients with digital health apps but it’s still a gamble in health care because patients expect their insurance to pay the fees.

Vida has raised $5 million in its first round of funding from :

• Aspect Ventures
• Khosla Ventures
• Jerry Yang (Yahoo)
• Kevin Scott (Silicon Valley Bank)
• Signia Venture Partners
• The Valley Fund
• Maynard Webb (Yahoo)
• Skip Battle

Vida connects its users to nutritionists, physicians, diabetes educators, nurses, and more via its iPhone app.

Google Glass users invite system – Charles Edward Krasny Ergen

Google has confirmed that it is preparing an invite system that will let current Glass owners invite up to three friends to join the program and buy their own Google Glass.

The invite system should be release over the next few weeks. Also Google will let existing users swap out their eyewear for an upgraded version.

Google is looking for more Explorers to be part of the program and this time you decide who gets in.

To become an Explorers you need to meet some requirement :

• Be a US Recident
• Be 18 year or older
• purchase Glass
• provide a U.S based shipping adress OR pick up the device in New York, San Francisco or Los Angeles.

And for fun, find who men will use Google Glass :