Amazon and Samsung are running away with the Android tablet market

Following the successful launch of Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet, Android vendors saw a beacon of hope in a market that had been dominated by Apple’s (AAPL) iPad since 2010. The Android tablet space has since become flooded with hundreds of products from a wide-range of companies, but there are only two companies that matter.
[More from BGR: ‘Apple is done’ and Surface tablet is cool, according to teens]
According to data from app analytics and ad service Datalytics, Samsung (005930) and Amazon (AMZN) are starting to run away with the Android tablet market, Venture Beat reported.
[More from BGR: Is BlackBerry back? Strong early BlackBerry 10 demand could signal RIM comeback]
Ad impressions on the 7-inch Kindle Fire HD grew 322% from November to the end of December, while impressions on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Tab 7.7 increased a combined total of 150%. Google’s (GOOG) Nexus 7 and Barnes & Noble’s (BKS) Nook Tablet were the next closest with 70% and 62% growth in December, respectively.
The firm’s data also confirms Samsung’s dominant smartphone share, which saw a combined total of 214% growth in the past month.
The data also revealed that the iPhone 4S is still the most popular Apple smartphone with 40% of the market, compared to the iPhone 4′s 36% share and iPhone 5′s 18% share. On the iOS tablet side of things, the iPad mini is apparently selling a little slower than the iPad 4. The fourth-generation tablet had an 8% share of the iPad market, slightly higher than the mini’s 6% share.
Datalytics’ information comes from tens of thousands of apps installed on more than 60 million devices.

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Expect more suffering for Microsoft and Intel in 2013

The PC industry is in shambles and no one is going to be hit harder than Microsoft (MSFT) and Intel (INTC), according to the latest forecasts from market research firm Canalys. Consumers continue to favor Android and iOS tablets over Windows and Intel (a.k.a., “Wintel”) PCs. The research firm found that combined shipments of desktops, netbooks and notebooks in the fourth quarter of 2012 declined roughly 10% year-over-year. The Wintel PC market is expected to suffer further and is estimated to fall from a 72% market share in 2012 to a 65% share in 2013, representing a 5% decline in unit shipments.
[More from BGR: ‘Apple is done’ and Surface tablet is cool, according to teens]
“Pads and, increasingly, smartphones can perform many of the day-to-day computing tasks that most people require,” said Pin-Chen Tang an analyst with Canalys. “Wintel PCs are becoming less likely as an individual’s first choice of computing device for everyday tasks, such as sending e-mail or web browsing.”
[More from BGR: Is BlackBerry back? Strong early BlackBerry 10 demand could signal RIM comeback]
The launch of Windows 8 was meant to revitalize the market, however it has had little to no impact so far. Despite sales roughly equal to its predecessor, a majority of consumers have shunned the new operating system and instead favored OS X or Windows 7. The overall consensus from analysts, consumers and the media is that Microsoft’s Metro user interface is too confusing for the average PC buyer.
“The launch of Windows 8 did not reinvigorate the market in 2012, and is expected to have a negative effect as we move into 2013,” explained Canalys analyst Tom Evans. ”Windows 8 is so different to previous versions that most consumers will be put off by the thought of having to learn a new OS. An additional barrier is the potential increase in cost that Windows 8 brings, as it is perceived that a PC with a touch-screen is needed to get the best user experience. In the current economic climate, this will be enough to make people delay purchases as they wait for prices to fall.”
Canalys predicts that between 2014 and 2016, the PC industry will see a larger mix of different form-factors as consumers become more comfortable with touchscreens and Windows 8. In addition, the firm expects the tablet market to grow an average of 37% each year between 2012 and 2016, with volumes reaching 389 million units and accounting for 59% of all PC shipments. The tablet growth will be driven by Apple’s (AAPL) iPad, iPad mini, low-cost Android alternatives and hybrid PCs such as the Surface Pro.
“It is clear that Microsoft is now pushing touch as the primary input method for Windows, but keyboard and mouse are still needed for legacy applications,” Canalys analyst Tim Coulling added. “Following the launch of the iPhone, the shift from keypad/keyboard to touch input on smart phones was rapid. The popularity of pads and the inevitable decline in touch-panel prices will cause the same trend to emerge in the PC market

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Expect more suffering for Microsoft and HP in 2013

The PC industry is in shambles and no one is going to be hit harder than Microsoft (MSFT) and Intel (INTC), according to the latest forecasts from market research firm Canalys. Consumers continue to favor Android and iOS tablets over Windows and Intel (a.k.a., “Wintel”) PCs. The research firm found that combined shipments of desktops, netbooks and notebooks in the fourth quarter of 2012 declined roughly 10% year-over-year. The Wintel PC market is expected to suffer further and is estimated to fall from a 72% market share in 2012 to a 65% share in 2013, representing a 5% decline in unit shipments.
[More from BGR: ‘Apple is done’ and Surface tablet is cool, according to teens]
“Pads and, increasingly, smartphones can perform many of the day-to-day computing tasks that most people require,” said Pin-Chen Tang an analyst with Canalys. “Wintel PCs are becoming less likely as an individual’s first choice of computing device for everyday tasks, such as sending e-mail or web browsing.”
[More from BGR: Is BlackBerry back? Strong early BlackBerry 10 demand could signal RIM comeback]
The launch of Windows 8 was meant to revitalize the market, however it has had little to no impact so far. Despite sales roughly equal to its predecessor, a majority of consumers have shunned the new operating system and instead favored OS X or Windows 7. The overall consensus from analysts, consumers and the media is that Microsoft’s Metro user interface is too confusing for the average PC buyer.
“The launch of Windows 8 did not reinvigorate the market in 2012, and is expected to have a negative effect as we move into 2013,” explained Canalys analyst Tom Evans. ”Windows 8 is so different to previous versions that most consumers will be put off by the thought of having to learn a new OS. An additional barrier is the potential increase in cost that Windows 8 brings, as it is perceived that a PC with a touch-screen is needed to get the best user experience. In the current economic climate, this will be enough to make people delay purchases as they wait for prices to fall.”
Canalys predicts that between 2014 and 2016, the PC industry will see a larger mix of different form-factors as consumers become more comfortable with touchscreens and Windows 8. In addition, the firm expects the tablet market to grow an average of 37% each year between 2012 and 2016, with volumes reaching 389 million units and accounting for 59% of all PC shipments. The tablet growth will be driven by Apple’s (AAPL) iPad, iPad mini, low-cost Android alternatives and hybrid PCs such as the Surface Pro.
“It is clear that Microsoft is now pushing touch as the primary input method for Windows, but keyboard and mouse are still needed for legacy applications,” Canalys analyst Tim Coulling added. “Following the launch of the iPhone, the shift from keypad/keyboard to touch input on smart phones was rapid. The popularity of pads and the inevitable decline in touch-panel prices will cause the same trend to emerge in the PC market.

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Facebook's SnapChat-Style Sexting App Is Called Poke (Seriously)

Oh, well would you look at Facebook, trying to make a Christmas funny with its SnapChat copycat app. It's called Poke! Get it? Because SnapChat is what the kids are all using for their sexting these days, apparently, and Poke — you know, that once kinda flirty Facebook future that's now pretty much useless — can kind of do the same thing, and it kind of sounds like some bad sexual pun, too! Funny, Facebook, very funny, and way to admit the dirty little truth behind "poking" that we knew all along.
RELATED: Facebook to Launch Its Own SnapChat as Social-Network Clone Wars Live on
Oh, wait. They're serious? Oh, yeah: Friday afternoon Facebook released Poke, its rumored iPhone app for the incredible vanishing half-message "that makes it fun and easy to say hello to friends wherever you are." But don't get too heavy on the old-school "Poke" comparisons, because the new app can actually send regular messages, photos, or videos, too — but only for short periods of time, because that is apparently what the kids like doing these days, if SnapChat's huge success is any indication. There's more of a time-bomb component to Poke, though: users can choose how long someone sees a poke before it ceases to exist forever — so you could sext poke all day long, because that, too, is apparently what the kids like doing these days, if SnapChat's huge, smashing, sexy success is any indication.
RELATED: The Life and Philosophy of Mark Zuckerberg
Why would anyone use Poke over SnapChat? Well, the Facebook app itself has a much smoother interface than SnapChat, and you can report people behaving badly, and everyone's already on Facebook, right? Maybe this is the breaking point Justin Bieber could never hit, when something sexy goes from the tween set to actual human beings. We'll let you know when Poke shows up in our iPhone's App Store; for now we're not entirely sure if this is just some bad joke.

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Facebook releases ‘Poke’ for the iPhone to compete with Snapchat

Facebook (FB) on Friday released a new free application for the iPhone called Poke that competes directly with Snapchat and allows users to send a messages, photos or videos that will self-destruct after a set time. With Poke you can send messages to individual friends or groups that are set to expire after one, three, five or ten seconds. The app is simple to use and only requires you to hold down a finger on a thread to activate the timer for a specific message. It was previously reported that an Android version would be released too, however Facebook did not reveal any such plans at this time. Poke is set to be available on the App Store later today.

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Facebook’s new easier-to-manage ‘Privacy Shortcuts’ rolling out globally

Managing Facebook (FB) privacy settings can be a daunting nightmare. Facebook’s new “Privacy Shortcuts” is designed to make sharing items as transparent as possible with always-visible privacy button on the top toolbar. The update also brings “an easier-to-use Activity Log, and a new Request and Removal tool for managing multiple photos you’re tagged in.” The new Facebook privacy controls are rolling out globally starting on Friday and will arrive for all users by the end of the year. Facebook Privacy Shortcuts

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Student suspended after vague Facebook post about dressing as Santa deemed threatening

A student in Georgia who planned to go to school dressed as Santa Claus was instead suspended after school officials perceived an enigmatic Facebook message about his plan as a threat.
On Tuesday at approximately 7 p.m., John George III, a sophomore at Crawford County High School, posted on his Facebook page: “Students of cchs ur in for a big surprise tomorrow ,” reports WMAZ-TV.
A parent saw George’s cryptic post, found it alarming in light of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting and notified local police.
After further discussions with the concerned parent, a police officer in Roberta — where George resides — independently reviewed George’s Facebook page. In the officer’s opinion, George’s page “appeared to have a very Gothic and dark theme,” WMAZ reports. There were also allusions to gangs and fighting.
By 10 p.m. Tuesday night, two local police officers were at George’s residence, interrogating him as well as his parents.
George explained to the officers that his ambiguous Facebook post was a reference to a plan he and two friends had concocted to go to school attired as Santa and a couple of elves.
George’s mother was able to verify that her son had purchased a Santa Claus costume recently, notes WMAZ. George said one of his teachers knew of his plans and could also confirm his alibi.
“We then spoke briefly about the nature of the post and how with the recent tragedy of school shootings that had occurred that the post could cause unrest if taken the wrong way,” the officers wrote in their report, according to the station. “We then left the residence without further incident.”
Mike Campbell, the principal at Crawford County High School, was not satisfied, however. At his request, police met George when he arrived at school Wednesday morning via school bus. They then escorted the young man directly to Campbell’s office.
Campbell then suspended George, pending further fact-finding by the school’s crack investigative team.
Campbell also issued a press release Wednesday that called George’s Facebook post “disturbing” in light of the recent massacre at Sandy Hook, according to WMAZ.
George called the series of events “ridiculous,” WMAZ says.
George’s father, John Jr., isn’t pleased, either. He charged that his son’s reputation has been unfairly sullied.
“We don’t own any guns. We don’t have any of that stuff going on here and we don’t believe in it. We’re a good family,” the elder George told the station. “He’s a mouthy kid like all of them, but he comes back in tune with everything and doesn’t cause any problems.

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Newsmaker of the Year selection triggers storm of debate on social media

OTTAWA - The selection of Luka Rocco Magnotta as Canada's 2012 Newsmaker of the Year lit up the country's social media and news web sites on Sunday with a cyclone of outrage and condemnation.
The alleged killer, who now sits in a Montreal detention centre as his case goes through the legal process, was the subject of a global manhunt last spring after a Chinese engineering student was killed, his body cut up and remains mailed to four different locations in Ottawa and British Columbia.
The event, including Magnotta's capture last June at a Berlin internet cafe, was splashed across newspaper front pages and Web sites all over the world.
Magnotta was chosen in the annual poll of the country's newsrooms by The Canadian Press.
Interim Liberal leader Bob Rae was among the first to express his anger and disappointment on Sunday, tweeting to 33,361 followers that the "Canadian Press reaches a new low with its naming Magnotta as 'newsmaker of the year.' Truly disgusting."
After being challenged about the news value in a response by one his followers, Rae went on to say The Canadian Press had resorted to "cheap sensationalism" and that "lots of people had more impact and made more news."
Toronto Liberal MP Carolyn Bennett tweeted the choice was "awful," while Conservative MP Jay Aspin, who represents the northern Ontario riding of Nipissing—Timiskaming, called on the news agency to retract the selection.
"I appeal to decency & better judgement of the Canadian Press and ask them to rescind their choice of Luka Magnotta as Newsmaker of the year," Aspin tweeted.
Magnotta was the choice of 22 per cent of the editors and news directors who cast ballots. The second place choice with 18 per cent of the votes was Amanda Todd, the B.C. teen whose suicide sparked a debate on bullying. NHL president Gary Bettman and players' union head Donald Fehr was third choice with 15 per cent of the votes.
The news agency's editor-in-chief noted that over the past few decades the poll has recognized other offensive newsmakers and events.
"The Newsmaker of the Year survey has been conducted by The Canadian Press since 1946 and over the decades, the country's newspaper editors and broadcasters have at times made some controversial selections," said Scott White.
"Ben Johnson won after the steroid scandal in 1988. Russell Williams won two years ago. The Newsmaker isn't an honour or a popularity contest. It's a determination by the journalists in Canada -- the people who make up the front pages and put together the daily newscasts -- about what Canadian made the biggest impact on the news that year. The stories we all cover are sometimes unpleasant and ugly. This choice reflects that reality."
Magnotta has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him. A preliminary hearing for his case is scheduled for March to determine if there is enough evidence for a trial on the allegations against him.
The Canadian Press received dozens of emails expressing outrage with the choice and social media was abuzz with the story.
"The media sensationalizing these stories is part of the problem," tweeted Luc Bouillon, a realtor from Montreal.
"Great nose for news, CP," sarcastically wrote Brian Banks, in Toronto.
Still, others said Magnotta's alleged victim, Jun Lin, was being demeaned by the choice and Aspin was not the only one calling for the selection of Magnotta to be rescinded. An online petition was circulated Sunday demanding The Canadian Press take back the choice.
"In our society, impartial and timely news reporting is important, but national recognition to someone who incomprehensibly dismembers a living person, posts it on YouTube, and cowardly flees the country, sends the message to Magnotta and villains to follow, “If you perform such a heinous act, you might just become, “Man of the Year,”” wrote organizer Andrew Schiestel on Sunday.
"As this decision was one of subjectivity, not impartiality, voted by editors across Canada, a different, more productive figure could have been nominated. This decision, not only distasteful to the vast majority of Canadians, is disgraceful and deeply inconsiderate to Lin Jun’s (the victim’s) family

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Italy tax police check Facebook's books

MILAN (AP) -- Italian tax police have visited Facebook's Milan offices to check the books of the social networking site, part of the country's crackdown on tax evasion that has targeted Google's Italian operations as well.

Facebook Italy issued a statement Friday saying it pays taxes in Italy and takes its tax obligations here "very seriously." It added it works "closely with tax authorities in every country to ensure we are compliant with the local law" and pledged to cooperate "with the investigation of the Italian tax authority."

Last week, the Italian Treasury said Google had had undeclared earnings of €240 million ($311 million) from 2002-2006, as well as unpaid value added tax of €96 million. Google says it's working with Italian authorities on the audit.

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Italian tax police visit Facebook's Milan offices

MILAN (Reuters) - Italian police have been carrying out checks at the Milan offices of Facebook to assess whether it regularly declared its income in Italy, an investigative source and the U.S. company said on Friday.

Italian officials have stepped up their efforts to collect taxes in recent months and have already targeted other big corporate names such as Google to check whether they are paying their dues.

The investigative source said tax officials first went to the offices of Facebook in Milan nearly a month ago to collect documents.

"Facebook pays taxes in Italy as part of its business activity in the country and strictly complies with Italy's fiscal rules," Facebook said in an emailed statement.

"Facebook has fully cooperated with tax police during the investigation and intends to continue to do that."

Italian police opened a new tax probe into Google Italy last week, five years after an earlier investigation into transfer pricing.

Google has said it complies with the tax laws in every country in which it operates.

($1=0.7700 euros)

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Netflix gets SEC notice over CEO's Facebook post

NEW YORK (AP) — Netflix Inc. is facing scrutiny from government regulators for a Facebook post by its CEO in July that may have boosted the online video company's stock price.

Neflix said Thursday that the Securities and Exchange Commission informed it that its staff is recommending civil action be brought against the company and CEO Reed Hastings. The reason: Hastings' July 3 post in which he said Netflix's online video viewing "exceeded 1 billion hours for the first time ever in June."

The SEC says posting on Facebook doesn't amount to fair public disclosure of information that is material to investors.

Shares in Netflix, which is based in Los Gatos, Calif., rose more than 6 percent on the day of Hastings' Facebook post. On the first day of trading following the July 4 holiday, its shares rose another 13 percent.

Hastings used Facebook again Thursday to comment on the investigation, which he called a "fascinating social media story." He argued that the information was not material to the stock price, had been disclosed and reported on earlier and that because he had 200,000 followers at the time, it was widely disseminated.

Hastings has been on the board of directors of Facebook Inc. since June 2011 and as of Nov. 14 owned 72,639 Facebook shares.

"We think posting to over 200,000 people is very public, especially because many of my subscribers are reporters and bloggers," he said in his post Thursday.

The SEC says Hastings' July post contained material investor information that must be disclosed in a regulatory filing or news release.

But Hastings said similar information was disclosed on the company blog in June.

On June 4, the blog states that Netflix's online customers were "enjoying nearly a billion hours per month" of streaming video. That announcement also was not put in a press release or an SEC filing.

It's not the first time a CEO from an Internet company has run into trouble with securities authorities for promoting their company through digital means.

In August 2011, Groupon Inc. CEO Andrew Mason got in hot water for sending a long email to thousands of employees explaining "why I'm so excited" about the company's then-upcoming initial public offering of stock, including a discussion of the company's use of controversial financial metrics.

Mason's email went out after the company had already filed IPO papers with the SEC, after which executives are not allowed to further promote the stock to investors. That episode was resolved and Groupon stock began trading publicly on Nov. 4, 2011.

Netflix shares rose $2.80, or 3.4 percent, to $86.17 on Thursday, a day after the company announced a multi-year licensing deal with Disney. The stock fell $1.06, or 1.2 percent, to $85.11 in after-hours trading.

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U.S. judge names lead plaintiffs in Facebook litigation

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A group of investors including state pension funds in North Carolina and Arkansas will be the lead plaintiffs in securities lawsuits arising out of Facebook Inc's $16 billion initial public offering, a U.S. judge ruled on Thursday.

The investors, in a proposed class-action case, have accused Facebook of misrepresenting its financial condition in the run-up to the May stock offering. They are represented by law firms Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann and Labaton Sucharow.

The ruling helps set a structure for the Facebook IPO litigation, a headache for the social media company and a nagging reminder of the technical glitches in the highly anticipated stock market debut.

U.S. District Judge Robert Sweet in Manhattan also named lead plaintiffs for lawsuits against NASDAQ OMX Group Inc stemming from the IPO. NASDAQ was sued over allegations that orders to buy and sell Facebook were not properly executed on the first day of trading.

Facebook, which has defended its pre-IPO disclosures, declined to comment on Thursday. A spokesman for NASDAQ declined to comment on the litigation.

Facebook shares made their debut at $38 per share, and later fell as much as 50 percent. On Thursday, they closed at $26.90, down 2.6 percent.

Sweet consolidated the cases and picked lead plaintiffs to head up most of the 42 lawsuits before him arising out of the IPO.

Under a federal law governing securities lawsuits, courts routinely select a lead plaintiff in class actions. The lead plaintiff typically is the shareholder with the biggest losses, though judges have discretion to pick a different investor.

The plaintiff group picked to lead 31 cases alleging securities violations against Facebook includes the North Carolina Retirement Systems, Arkansas Teacher Retirement System, the Fresno County Employees' Retirement Association and Banyan Capital Master Fund Ltd.

The group has collectively claimed a combined $7.1 million in losses.

"Its members are large, institutional investors with experience representing shareholder classes in similar litigation with the resources to pursue the action," Sweet said.

In the securities lawsuits against NASDAQ, the judge said First New York Securities LLC, T3 Trading Group LLC, and Avatar Securities LLC would act as co-lead plaintiffs. The group traded a combined $316 million in Facebook shares the day of the IPO, the decision said.

The case is In re Facebook, Inc, IPO Securities and Derivative Litigation, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, MDL No. 12-2389.

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Facebook might buy Microsoft’s Atlas Ad platform to compete with Google

Is Facebook (FB) preparing to compete with Google (GOOG) in online advertising? According to AllThingsD and BusinessInsider’s sources Facebook might be taking steps to build its own advertising network for online websites. AllThingsD says that rather than build a new advertising network from scratch, Facebook could just buy Microsoft’s (MSFT) Atlas Solutions platform “that already delivers billions of ad impressions a day.”

BusinessInsider reports that Facebook will reportedly pay a lower price than the $6 billion that Microsoft paid for aQuantive in 2007 that included Atlas Solutions. It’s estimated that Atlas is worth more than $30 million — a small price to pay to compete with Google’s DoubleClick ad network.

So why is Facebook interested in advertising now? Well, it’s got over 1 billion active users with emails, phone numbers, and unprecedented amounts of “likes.” As BusinessInsider puts it, Facebook has so much data it could “tell marketers whether or not a Facebook user saw, on Facebook.com, an ad for a product before going to the store and buying it.”

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