trends

Buzz Out Loud 1487: What, you don't Beluga? (Podcast)

Carriers are freaking out because they might not be able to keep charging you exorbitant rates to send tiny little data bits over the same network all the other data goes over--i.e., texting is dead. Hurry up and die, texting. Also, how Windows Phone 7 might catch up to iPhone by 2015 (we're skeptical) and why not to tag yourself in 250 pictures of you and your ex-girlfriend. We'd have thought the answer was obvious.

Subscribe:  iTunes (MP3) |  iTunes (320x180) |  iTunes (640x360) |  RSS (MP3) |  RSS (320x180) |  RSS (640x360)… Read more

Daily cost of a 'promoted trend' on Twitter: $120,000

The cost of advertising on Twitter has increased roughly five-fold since the social-microblog-whatchamacallit service started offering "promoted trends" a little over a year ago.

In an interview with the marketing site Clickz published this week, Twitter director of revenue Adam Bain says the cost of a promoted trend is now $120,000 per day, up from $25,000-$30,000 when Twitter launched the service in April 2010. Bain says over that time, Twitter has worked with more than 600 advertisers on more than 6,000 campaigns. That's decent growth for an ad service that launched with just 6 clients.

Big-name clients include the likes of Virgin, HBO, Samsung, JetBlue, and others. In addition to promoted trend slots, which appear on the right side of any Twitter user's home page, Twitter also offers promoted accounts and promoted tweets, but those are sold through an auction system, and--in the past at least--use a pay-per-click or pay-per-follow system. Recently, Bain says, Twitter has started asking for advertisers to spend a minimum of $15,000 over a three-month period.

If Twitter managed to get at least that $15,000 for each of its 6,000 campaigns (and to be clear, no one says they have, but humor me), that's a cool $90 million, or enough to buy at least two more Tweetdecks. Add in revenue from promoted trends and take into account some of Twitter's deep-pocketed, top-tier advertisers, and there's probably plenty more where that's coming from, and maybe even enough to buy stock in Facebook when it finally goes public.… Read more

Report: Targeted attacks aimed at Hotmail, Yahoo, Gmail

Users of Hotmail and Yahoo Mail have had targeted attacks aimed at them similar to the attacks Google says have been directed at U.S. officials, political activists, and journalists who use Gmail, according to Trend Micro.

Google said earlier this week that it had disrupted a targeted phishing campaign against Gmail users that appeared to originate in China. The attackers were trying to monitor e-mails and use stolen passwords to change the settings in the accounts so that e-mails would be forwarded to their own accounts, Google said.

China has denied any responsibility and claims the U.S. is … Read more

The 404 814: Where we're saying Cinco de 'Bye'-o (podcast)

It's Caroline McCarthy's final appearance on The 404 before she makes a move to the Googleplex where she'll be a member of the company's new Trends & Insights team. That also means she'll be splitting her time between Google projects and redirecting all of Google's 404 error pages to the show blog. But before she leaves, we're thanking her for all her help with The 404, introducing us to guests like Dennis Crowley of FourSquare, Dave Karp of Tumblr, Rex Sorgatz of 4Food, and many more. She's also credited for being the first to suggest recording our chats for a CNET Podcast, so we owe it all to her! Join us on today's show to see what kind of gifts she brings, as we share our best intoxication stories in the spirit of a hilarious Reddit picture.

The 404 Digest for Episode 814

Follow Caroline on her personal blog! Reddit, what is the drunkest photo ever taken of you? Still playing Game Boy!

Episode 814 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Trendnet ships first 450Mbps Wireless-N adapter

Three-stream (3x3) Wireless-N routers capable of offering the new 450Mbps speed (as opposed to the 300Mbps of most N routers) have been available for a while (examples: the Linksys E4200 or the Trendnet TEW-691GR ). But unless you have a laptop with a built-in Intel 6300/5300 Ultimate N adapter, you can't take advantage of this faster speed. Until now.

Trendnet announced today that it's shipping what it calls the first USB 3x3 Wireless-N adapter on the market: the 450Mbps Dual Band Wireless N USB Adapter (model TEW-684UB). The device lets you upgrade your computer to support the faster wireless speed.

Like most recent N devices, the adapter features advanced multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology. Its antennas, however, can handle three streams, instead of two, and therefore generate a maximum wireless throughput of 450Mbps. The device is dual-band, meaning it can work with both 2.4GHz or 5GHz wireless networks, and incorporates Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) that allows for connecting to wireless networks with the touch of a button.

Unlike most wireless adapters, which are shaped like a thumbdrive, the Trendnet TEW-684UB is much larger, about the size of a mini router and requires a separate USB cable to connect to a computer. This design means it's better suited for desktop computers than laptops. Apart from 450Mbps wireless networks, it's also compatible with existing regular 300Mbps and lower speed Wireless-N routers.

The 450 Mbps Dual Band Wireless N USB Adapter TEW-684UB adapter comes with a three-year warranty. It's available now and estimated to cost around $80.… Read more

Trend Micro gives parents an Online Guardian

Trend Micro has created an Online Guardian that it says will help parents monitor and control the online activity of their children. Debuting today, Online Guardian for Parents continues the revamp of Trend Micro's home consumer security line that started last fall with its cloud-based Titanium security suites. In fact, Online Guardian leverages the same cloud-based, proprietary database called Smart Protection to extend rapid-response protection to Web site monitoring.

In addition to standard parental control features such as URL filtering, instant message monitoring, identity data protection, an online time manager, a Web-based control panel, and per-child user profiles, Online … Read more

Tap That App takes on Android security

In this week's episode of Tap That App, we look at the growing Android security field and check out three apps with three different takes on what's important when making Android safer. One thing's for sure: the makers of all three think that there's more to Android security than mere antivirus and malicious app scanning.

For a more detailed analysis, check out the story this episode of Tap That App is based on.

Kyocera Echo; Sandy Bridge fixed

Links from Tuesday's episode of Loaded:

Kyocera sees double

Facebook is replacing Craigslist for prostitute recruitment and matchmaking

Fixed Sandy Bridge chipsets will ship in mid-February

Win $10,000 in this Internet video safety contest

White House proposes new copying rules

Facebook firing case will settle

Contest: $10,000 for winning Internet safety video

Security firm Trend Micro is launching its second annual "What's Your Story" contest to encourage youth and others to submit short videos on Internet safety and privacy.

Categories include being a good online citizen, using a cell phone wisely, and maintaining your online privacy.

The contest is open to anyone 13 and older in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K., including students, teachers, and entire classrooms. In addition to the first-prize winner there will be six $500 prizes. Three will go to the best school entries in each category and three will go to the … Read more