Tag Archives: research
75% Smartphones sold are Androids!
Analytics firm Gartner recently published the smartphone numbers for Q1 of 2013. The numbers look at a lot of different things, but one very interesting and impressive statistic stands out from the others. According to the numbers, almost 75% of all smartphones sold in Q1 of 2013 use the Android Operating System.
Another, perhaps unsurprising statistic, is that Samsung sold more Android-powered smartphones than any other manufacturer. Gartner says that Android’s nearly 75% market share for the smartphone realm is nearly 20% higher than its percentage of the market only a year ago. If you’re wondering, that 75% share equates to about 156 million Android devices sold during the quarter.
Overall sales for smartphones were 210 million units, representing an increase of 63 million units compared to the same quarter last year. Overall mobile phone sales for the quarter were 425 million meaning smartphones accounted for almost half of all mobile phones sold. Of all smartphone manufacturers, Samsung seems to be doing the best.
Samsung doesn’t offer up official sales statistics, but Gartner estimates that Samsung sold 31% of all smartphones during the quarter. Gartner also estimates that Apple was in the number two spot with 18% of all smartphones sold. Those numbers show that Android is growing rapidly as iOS continues to decline.
During the same quarter of 2012, Samsung and Apple were only 5% apart in the first and second spots for the smartphone realm. There is a chance that those numbers could swing back in Apple’s favor with the launch of the next generation iPhone. The iPhone 5 has been criticized as being a marginal upgrade and Gartner thinks that some iPhone users may be waiting for the next generation device before they upgrade.
‘Einstein’s planet’
Einstein’s special relativity has proven more useful than ever, as scientists have now used it to discover an alien planet around another star.
The newfound world, nicknamed “Einstein’s planet” by the astronomers who discovered it, is the latest of more than 800 planets known to exist beyond our solar system, and the first to be found through this method.
The planet, officially known as Kepler-76b, is 25 percent larger than Jupiter and weighs about twice as much, putting it in a class known as “hot Jupiters.” The world orbits a star located about 2,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus. [7 Ways to Discover Alien Planets]
The researchers capitalized on subtle effects predicted by Albert Einstein’s special theory of relativity to find the planet. The first is called the “beaming” effect, and occurs when light from the parent star brightens as its planet tugs it a nudge closer to Earth, and dims as the planet pulls it away. Relativistic effects cause light particles, called photons, to pile up and become focused in the direction of the star’s motion.
“This is the first time that this aspect of Einstein’s theory of relativity has been used to discover a planet,” research team member Tsevi Mazeh of Tel Aviv University in Israel said in a statement.
Samsung 5G Smartphone Breakthrough!
Samsung Electronics said Monday it has made a breakthrough in developing mobile technology for fifth-generation networks, though it expects it will take years until the service is brought online for subscribers.
The South Korean company said it has found a way to transmit large volumes of data using a much higher frequency band than conventional ones in use, which would eventually allow users to send massive data files at a much faster speeds through their mobile devices, “practically without limitation.”
The technology could easily gain fans among phone users routinely sending and receiving large amounts of data. With 5G networks, for example, users would be able to send super-high-definition movie files in a matter of seconds, according to Samsung.
The fastest wireless technology in operation (i.e. the 4G or long-term evolution) has yet to be widely adopted world-wide, and the next immediate phase for the standard is likely to be a shift to “4.5G” networks, analysts say. Many networks still employ 3G.
Samsung has eyes on commercializing 5G technology by 2020, matching a recently set target by the European Union. The EU announced earlier this year a plan to invest 50 million euros in research to deliver 5G mobile technology by 2020.
Many mobile operators are still transitioning to 4G wireless technology and they would have to be as swift in deploying the next-generation wireless data networks for the transition to 5G to materialize as planned, analysts note.
“The competition for technology leadership in next-generation mobile communications development is getting increasingly fierce,” and Samsung “believes it will trigger the creation of international alliances and the timely commercialization of related mobile broadband services,” the company said.
One Genetic Big Family
If you think you have a big family, think again. Scientific research suggests that the whole of Europe derives from one big genetic family!
New DNA analysis shows all Europeans share common ancestors if you go back just 1,000 years. Putting this in the time frame where man has walked the earth this is certainly not a long time ago. The research was done by a team of international scientists. (Via Daily Express)
They studied Mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA. This type of DNA remains almost unchanged as it is passed down from mother to child. (Via DNATube)
The researchers were able to build family trees based on the mutations of the mtDNA. They studied DNA from remains dating back as far as 3,500 years ago.
“The team selected 37 human remains from … Germany and two from Italy, all of whom belonged to the ‘H’ clan. This area has a very well preserved collection of human skeletons forming a continuous record of habitation across different archaeological cultures.” (Via BBC)
Then they took those findings and compared them to DNA analysis of more than 2,000 people living today from Ireland to Turkey. (Via Google Maps)
Two or more individuals shared varying amounts DNA about 20 percent of the time. (Via NBC)
Researchers note the biggest finding with the study is just how closely many Europeans are related. But just like any other family, there are differences in appearances. (Via About.com)
“…even if we’re from very different places in Europe, likely share many common ancestors. But there’s a slight variation there and that variation carries the imprint of population history and population immigration.” (Via University of California, Davis)
Researchers hope the new findings will help in future studies now made possible by “the proliferation of genetic data and analytical tools.” (Via Family Tree DNA)
105-Year-Old Secret
A 105-year-old Texas woman has earned a place in almost all headlines by revealing the most unlikely secret to her long life.
Strangely, her key to longevity is bacon. Yes, you read it right; 105-year-old Pearl Cantrell loves to eat bacon and feasts on it almost every day. Her story, for sure, will be a subject of research for most health scientists.
Pearl Cantrell, who’s mostly referred to as the ’105-year-old bacon woman’, said in an interview with a local NBC station, “I love bacon and I eat it everyday. I don’t feel as old as I am, that’s all I can say.”
Resident of Central Texas, Cantrell, a mother of seven, has outlived three of her kids, as well as her husband. Her recent 105th birthday bash was a three-day affair that included more than 200 guests.
Reports according to KRBC state that Cantrell’s love for bacon grabbed the attention of the American meat and cold cut production company Oscar Mayer. A representative of the company was present at Cantrell’s birthday. The spokesman reached her home in a Wienermobile and gave the ‘bacon woman’ a ride in the hot dog-shaped truck, gifting her tons of bacon, with more to come in the future.
“We’ve seen a lot of stories on the road, but nothing quite like this one, so we’re excited to be here,” Abraham Luna, one of the representatives, told KRBC, of the 105-year-old bacon woman. “Pearl is an inspiration for the community, and her friends and family, so we had to make a special stop here for her today.”
Cantrell’s daughter Anno says that her mother taught them to work hard and think about living everyday they woke up. She never spoke about dying. She is very active and still loves to dance.
This story comes as a challenge to the latest study conducted by the University of Zurich, which clearly states that eating too much bacon elevates the risk for bowel cancer.
Facebook ‘Like’ Worth Cash?
When it comes to Facebook, have you ever wondered, “What’s in a ‘like?” Well, apparently almost $200 on a normal day.
According to a study by social intelligence company Syncapse, your ‘likes’ on Facebook are worth money to brands — on average $174.17.
There are a few ways a company can buy fans:
One is called “cost per thousand” (CPT). Advertisers place bids on a target group and pay for every time their ad is seen by 1,000 users.
Another is “cost per click” (CPC) and advertisers get paid every time an ad for their page gets clicked on.
And the latest, Facebook rolled out a “cost per action” (CPA) wherein advertisers pay for specific actions resulting from a consumer seeing their ad — like becoming a fan or just ‘liking’ posts related to the company.
So what makes a simple click worth so much? Apparently, it’s not about the click but what’s connected to it.
More than 2,000 Facebookers were involved in the research and the study found users who had ‘liked’ a brand spent more money ($116 more/year) not just on the brands they were fans of, but also within the brand’s sector (43% more) than non-fans, despite not having a higher income. They were also more likely (11%) to stick with the brand.
But KFSN notes — not all brands are created equal, nor is the value of their fans.
“As you can see ……. the value varied across brands: Clothing retailer Zara: $405. H&M: $306. McDonald’s: $182. Starbucks: $177 and Disney: $132.”
Business News Daily explains the study suggests the better a company can engage with customers, the better it can gain loyalty and revenue. Basically: make people feel like they’re a part of the product, and they’ll want to stick around.
A writer for Examiner says social media users should be a key target for business. “Brand managers and others would be wise to interact with their fans whenever possible, encourage additional fans, and otherwise pay attention to this important group of loyal supporters.”
But before a company starts buying fans, it needs to calculate their value. Then determine how much it’s willing to spend to keep in contact with said fans. (via YOUTUBE)
A writer for Mashable explains acquiring Facebook fans isn’t necessary for every company. They can be valuable and it’s likely they’ll become customers if they aren’t already, however, companies should build a strategy behind their reasons. “Don’t acquire for the sake of acquiring.”
Tetris Game Treats ‘Lazy Eye’
The BBC reports, a McGill University Ophthalmology research team has discovered playing the video game Tetris can actually help treat Amblyopia, commonly known as “lazy eye.”
Amblyopia is a condition affecting the nerves that connect the eyes to the brain. One of the eyes sends poorer images to the brain than the other, and as a result, the brain learns to ignore the weaker eye, possibly resulting in loss of vision. (Via NIHOD)
Usually “lazy eye” is treated during childhood by placing a patch over the stronger eye, forcing the weaker one to work harder. (Via Science World Report)
But the McGill University researchers discovered a much more creative way to treat the disorder.
They split eighteen study participants into two groups of nine. Both groups then played Tetris one hour a day for two weeks while wearing specially-designed goggles. (Via Medgadget)
The first group’s goggles let their weaker eye see the falling shapes themselves and showed the background grid to the dominant eye. The second group’s goggles worked the same as an eye patch, forcing the weaker eye to do all the work. (Via Youtube / Spectre255)
The results showed the group which played using both eyes saw greater improvements in vision than the group which only used the weaker eye.
CBS reports the study’s author, Dr. Robert Hess, says the study shows amblyopia is caused by both eyes and teaching the eyes to work together is better than focusing on the weak one. He said: “It’s much better than patching, much more enjoyable, it’s faster and it seems to work better.”
The study suggests this could be a new way to treat the disorder in children, who are much more likely to enjoy playing a video game for an hour than wearing an eyepatch to school every day.
Improve Memory whilst sleeping
Is it possible to boost your brainpower while getting a good night’s sleep? Well according to
a study it is by listening to music!
According to a new study if you have music that’s in sync with brain oscillations, or the repetitive rhythm that represents activity, can help improve your memory. (Via ScienceDirect)
According to the Daily Mail, researchers have known for a while that slow brain oscillations are important to retain memory. Now, sound can be used to improve those oscillations.
“Researchers say slow rhythms are best and that stimulation that is out of sync doesn’t help. They also say in-sync rhythms can make slow-wave sleeps last longer.” (Via WXYZ)
These conclusions were drawn by researchers in Germany by tested 11 people. They interchanged between sound exposure while sleep and a placebo. Before they went to sleep, the participants memorized word associations. (Via Nature World News)
The researchers discovered after listening to music while sleeping the participants did a better job of remembering the associations than those who didn’t sleep with music. (Via Counsel and Heal)
Medical Daily points out that using music as a research tool is nothing new when it comes to studying the brain.
A recent study showed brain patterns can predict what music people are most likely to buy.
And a 2010 study showed music can be used as therapy for Alzheimer’s disease. (Via PBS)
So, what could come of this new study? In a press release the researchers said the findings could do more in the future than just improve sleep.
“…it might be even used to enhance other brain rhythms with obvious functional significance—like rhythms that occur during wakefulness and are involved in the regulation of attention.”(Via EurakAlert!)
The Most Underrated Character in 30 Rock
Dr Leo Spaceman
In my opinion, this character, Dr Leo Spaceman (pronounced spatcheman, or just like it sounds, if you prefer…) is the most underrated and least praised in the hit series 30 Rock. His character is played by Chris Parnell.
Here are some highlights from the First Season.
“Dr, I think Tracy Jordan is having badside-effects from his medication.”“Ah, I was afraid this was going to happen……but, what can you do?Medicine is not a science.”
“Dr, we have a product we would like you to give a medical endorsement to.”“I’ll do it!What is it?”
“Dr, is it true that bread eats out your brain?”“We have no way of knowing, because the powerful bread lobby keeps stopping my research!”
“Dr Spaceman, when they check my DNA will they tell me what diseases I might get or help me to remember my ATM pin code?”
What If Google Presses The “Off” Button?
The above video is an example I was made aware of, where an apparent censoring of specific keywords were disabled.
Google, they hold so much power its beyond most of our understanding, although I and most of us use it everyday, in all honesty it is as critical to me as my central heating.
Not only is it on par with living utilities, it is more important that I can access Google than it is for me to have my coffee in the morning.
The biggest disaster that could happen for me is not as simple as the internet going down, or Google’s servers, it is far worse if I search Google for something that I know exists and it does not show up in the results.
A couple of years back I was fascinated and drawn to studying UFOs and general off-planet activities, to cut a long story short, I eventually got some interesting connections and YouTube subscriptions. At a certain string of mornings I would wake up and watch a video posted a few minutes ago, it would typically be a foreign news report on a UFO sighting, caught by camera.
Now, you had to be extremely quick back then to actually view the best videos because after about 10 minutes, it would not be available. Utterly unobtainable.
I tried everything. I searched YouTube for exact information, I contacted the accounts involved in posting, only to get a very simple and concise note, for example “it happens a lot, we get our videos censored constantly”.
At first my reaction was of shock! “WHAT!??” If the world knew about this, there would be an ocean of raised fists, demanding our free, uncensored internet.
After that whole time, deep in a world of private research, I put it all to rest with one thought, “censoring videos of UFO sightings is one thing, but when critical news becomes unobtainable and I can’t back up my information with a reliable source, it’s time to start speaking about it”.
I would simply ask you all to keep your senses sober and alert, when Google begins to block search results for you, that would be a good time to remember this article you are reading.
My guidelines for this eventuality is as follows.
Tell anyone who will believe you!
Replace Google with your mind, it’s all we ever needed!
