Google, Facebook top U.S. Web destinations in July

Google was by far the most popular online destination during July, a study released yesterday by Nielsen has found.

According to the research firm, 172.5 million unique visitors went to Google in July, spending an average of nearly 1.5 hours on the site. The world's top social network, Facebook, had nearly 159 million unique visitors. However, the social network was far and away their favorite place to be, with folks spending an average of over 5 hours on the site during the month.

Yahoo came in third place in Nielsen's study with 148.6 million unique visitors and an average of more than 2 hours of visitation on the month. Microsoft's MSN, Windows Live, and Bing attracted 131 million people and over 1.5 hours of visitation. YouTube rounded out the top five with 126 million unique visitors and over 1.5 hours of average use.

Those sites' ability to attract so many users becomes all the more impressive when one considers that 213 million Americans used the Internet in July, according to Nielsen's findings. Moreover, Nielsen said that 275 million people had Internet access during the month.

Not much has changed on the Web over the last few months. In May, according to Nielsen, all five of the top companies were in the same rank order. However, Google was only able to attract 155 million unique visitors, while Facebook trailed with 140 million. Yahoo had 134 million unique visitors.

Aside from Web sites, Nielsen also dug into data on the folks surfing the Web in July. The research firm found that the average American visited 95 sites during the month and accounted for nearly 2,600 page views. The average time viewing a Web page was just over 1 minute, while the average American's total Web usage was over 27 hours.

Readmore...

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7: Dual-Core chip, new screen

BERLIN--Samsung, the most aggressive backer of Android tablets, announced the Galaxy Tab 7.7 today, a model that brings a dual-core processor and the company's Super AMOLED Plus display technology to the line.

Apple's iPad line still dominates the tablet market, but those using Google's Android operating system are trying hard to find a place. Samsung's announcement at the IFA electronics show here follows Sony's yesterday and more from other players, too.

The Galaxy Tab 7.7 display uses the compay's active matrix organic light-emitting diode technology, which Samsung says will mean good contrast, brightness, and colors. The resolution--1280x800 with a 7.7-inch diagonal--is a bit bigger than the original 7-inch Galaxy Tab that debuted a year ago with a 1280x600 resolution.

That model was a commercial dud, though, hampered by a lack of apps designed for Android tablets, a phone-centric design for the tablet and its operating system, and arguably by its smaller screen. Google has put tablets high on its Android priority list, though, releasing its Honeycomb version of the operating system specifically for the product category, and the Galaxy Tab 7.7 comes with the latest version, 3.2.

Samsung is betting people still want the phone features, though. The Galaxy Tab 7.7 comes with HSPA+ 21 Mbps mobile network technology and can make voice and video calls, Samsung said.

It's also got Samsung's TouchWiz software, which adds a tray for frequently used apps, an ability to customize the home screen with photos or live feeds, and a compatibility mode for showing small-screen smartphone apps at larger size.

In the hardware department, the model has a dual-core processor running at 1.4GHz, 1GB of memory and support for 32GB MicroSD cards, a 5,100mAh battery good for to 10 hours of video, a front-facing 2-megapixel camera and rear-facing 3-megapixel camera with an LED flash, support for 802.11 a/b/g/n standards at both 2.4GHz and 5GHz. It measures 196.7x133x 7.89mm and weighs 335g.

Availability "depends on market," Samsung said--something of an understatement given the company's legal troubles with Apple's patent-related legal actions that has blocked sales of Galaxy Tab 10.1 models in Germany and hit Samsung's phones as well. Samsung didn't announce pricing.

Readmore...

Samsung announces new Wave phones based on its Bada 2.0 OS

Samsung unveiled three new Bada-based phones on Tuesday to add to its Wave lineup, the Wave 3, Wave M and Wave Y, according to a Reuters report. These phones add to the seven Wave phones that are already a part of its Bada portfolio.

The Wave 3, with its 4-inch WVGA AMOLED display, 1.4GHz processor and 5-megapixel camera, is the most high-powered member in the lineup. It is made of anodised aluminium  and weighs in at 122 grams. The Wave M will feature an 832MHz processor, a 3.65-inch screen and a 5MP camera; the Wave Y boasts of similar specs but has a smaller 3.2-inch screen  and a 2-megapixel shooter.

All three phones will have Samsung’s recently announced ChatON service installed and run its Bada 2.0 OS, giving them access to Samsung Apps, the company’s app-delivery platform that current has about 13,000 applications. They are set to be launched in October this year and will be on display at the company’s stand at IFA 2011 in Berlin.

Readmore...

Samsung Galaxy Note launches with 5.3-inch Super HD AMOLED screen

Samsung has brought its smartphones to the yard at Berlin’s IFA 2011 expo, debuting its new Galaxy Tab 7.7 tablet and now its huge new Android smartphone – the Samsung Galaxy Note.

If you thought the screen on the Galaxy S II was big then the Note is going to blow you away; not only does it feature Samsung’s HD Super AMOLED technology, it is significantly bigger than any other modern smartphone – getting into tablet territory here – measuring a whopping 5.3-inches.

The Galaxy Note is billed a super-powerful smartphone that can help you record your daily life by using its S Memo application and a dedicated S Pen stylus, allowing you to sketch and write down whatever you want, when you want.

Inside, the Galaxy note has a dual-core 1.4GHz processor and will be HSPA＋ and LTE-enabled depending on your network, allowing for super-fast downloads and increased call-quality. It will run Google’s Gingerbread Android 2.3 operating system, snap photos and HD video with its 8-megapixel rear-facing and 2-megapixel front-facing camera, also including 1GB of RAM and 16GB or 32GB of built-in storage.

Readmore...

New iOS 5 beta 7 for Developers

Apple has today released the seventh version of its iOS 5 beta to developers. The new version offers some stability improvements and bug fixes and is the fourth version of Apple’s beta software to be delivered over-the-air to devices, a new feature that Apple touted at WWDC as part of its new ‘post-pc’ strategy.

In total, Apple has released several updates, including iOS 5 Beta 7, Xcode 4.2 b7, iTunes 10.5 b7, Safari 5.1.1 and Apple TV b6 to developers. As with beta 6, you can install iOS 5 beta 7 using over the air software update.

If you’re performing an over-the-air update from your device, you should be just fine, but you should remove your passcode previous to performing the update. If you do not, iMessage may be turned off after the update completes. If you are going to restore an iPhone 3GS or iPod touch 3g from Beta 6 to Beta 7 using iTunes, you will have to set the device to DFU mode, OTA updates work fine.

The iOS 5 beta is available for download now on your device but as well as the Apple Developer site. Note that Apple requires that you have a developer account and a device registered on the site in order to download and install iOS 5.

When trying to restore an iPhone 3GS or iPod touch 3rd generation device running Beta 6 to Beta 7 using iTunes, you will have to set the device into DFU or you can OTA update to Beta 7. If you have a passcode set, it must be removed before updating to seed 7 from previous seeds. It can be re-enabled after the update is complete. Failure to do so may require iMessage to be re-enabled in settings

iOS 5 is the next major revision to Apple’s software for iPhone, iPod, Apple TV and iPad devices. The new OS is slated for release in the fall of this year. You can see our complete rundown of the iOS announcements at WWDC here. We’ve also got a closer look at some of the features of iOS like iMessages, Twitter, Setup and Notification Center, iCloud and alerts

Readmore...

Blogger’s fresh new look

As you may have heard, things are starting to look a little different across many Google products—and today, Blogger is the next product to get a makeover.

It’s been a few years since we made major updates to Blogger’s look and feel, and there’s a lot more to these changes than just shiny new graphics. We’ve rewritten the entire editing and management experience from scratch so it’s faster and more efficient for you—and easier for us to update and improve over time.

Throughout the design process, we conducted user interviews to help identify how to make Blogger even easier and more enjoyable to use. We also watched users try our new interface and made many refinements based on their feedback.

A streamlined blogging experience
Whether you’re on a dashboard or settings page of blogger.com, you can always create or edit posts with just one click at the top of the screen. Additionally, the post editor has been expanded and simplified to give you a larger canvas for drafting and previewing your work.

Monitor and grow your audience at a glance
In the new “Overview” section of your dashboard, you’ll be able to quickly get a pulse for how people are reacting to your blog with a graph of your most recent traffic numbers, comment activity and follower counts. For extra guidance and inspiration, you’ll also find a list of helpful links, a feed of Blogger updates and a showcase of other blogs you may find interesting. 

Opt in now
Starting today, we’ll gradually let all bloggers choose to turn on the new UI, so your Blogger experience won’t be updated until you enable it. Over the next few days, keep an eye out for a pop-up announcement on your dashboard with instructions on how to get started, and check out this Blogger Help Center page to learn more about what’s changed.

If you have suggestions or feedback about the new look, click the gear icon in the top right of the navigation bar and select “Send Feedback.”

We’re working hard to fundamentally revamp and improve the Blogger experience from the ground up, and we hope you enjoy the first in a series of major updates that are on their way in the coming months

Readmore...