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The growing Android challenge to iPad supremacy

The latest figures compiled by industry analysts show that the Apple iPad’s market dominance continues for the moment – but that’s set to be challenged by the growing popularity of Android-based tablets. Strategy Analytics say that Apple sold twice as many in the last quarter of 2011 as it did in the same period in 2010. “Global tablet shipments reached an all-time high of 26.8 million units in Q4 2011, surging 150 per cent from 10.7 million in Q4 2010. Demand for tablets among consumer, business and education users remains strong. Apple shipped a robust 15.4 million iPads worldwide and maintained its strong market leadership with 58 per cent share during the fourth quarter of 2011″ said Peter King, Director of Strategy Analytics, in a company press release . However, Androids appear to be on the march, with their share of the global market reaching 39 per cent. A variety of companies are using Google’s OS as the basis for their products, such as the Amazon Kindle Fire and Acer’s Iconia Tab. Although not a perfect solution, utilising an ‘off-the-peg’ OS, such as Android, allows companies to reduce development time. “Dozens of Android models distributed across multiple countries by numerous brands such as Amazon, Samsung, Asus and others have been driving volumes,” added Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics

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The growing Android challenge to iPad supremacy

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7 Ways to Keep Your Inbound Marketing in Check – A SPN Exclusive Article

The three major components of inbound marketing are social media marketing, content marketing and SEO. Each of those campaigns requires hours of planning and implementation, constant monitoring and consistent progress. It’s very easy to get overwhelmed by the amount of work that goes into a strong inbound marketing campaign, but that doesn’t mean you have to struggle to keep your head above the water. Here are 7 tips for keeping your inbound marketing campaign from running away from you: Think twice before you post/tweet/update/share. Nothing published on the Internet can ever really be deleted. Even supposedly private communications like internal emails can end up published somewhere. Before you share/post/tweet something take a few seconds and think about how it could potentially impact your brand

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7 Ways to Keep Your Inbound Marketing in Check – A SPN Exclusive Article

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20 Quick Tips for a More Profitable Website

When the World Wide Web began about 20 years ago, it opened up an amazing world of opportunity for people to make their own success and realize their dreams. More people than ever were able to start their own home business. Unfortunately, about 95% of the people who start their own online business will fail. People are led to believe all they have to do is throw up a website and the money will start pouring in. This is definitely not true! Building a website now is much easier than it was 20 years ago but you still need to know how to make your website efficient and profitable

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20 Quick Tips for a More Profitable Website

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New-fangled e-books with Amazon’s KF8

Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing has released new tools for creating e-books using Web technologies, announcing it’s ready to receive Kindle Format 8 (KF8) books from publishers. KF8 is Amazon’s next generation file format offering a wide range of features and enhancements – giving rise to a new breed of e-book with high resolution colour and pop-up text through the use of HTML and CSS tools. According to the ever-expanding online market: “Through the use of HTML5 and CSS3, KF8 allows publishers to create great-looking books in all categories, particularly those that require rich formatting and design, such as technical and engineering books and cookbooks.” The move signifies the growing expansion of e-book capabilities. Where pure text is satisfactory for many books and easily meets the needs of reader apps for mobile phones, graphics are becoming more and more crucial for many markets. Amazon added: “For those doing more advanced formatting by writing HTML5, using design software or working with a conversion resource, KF8 features such as Kindle Panel Views and Kindle Pop Up enable great fixed layout books like graphic novels, comics, and kids’ books.” Kindle Fire users – Amazon’s tablet introduced last year – will be the first readers to get their hands on books made with the new formatting tools, downloading them straight to their devices.

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New-fangled e-books with Amazon’s KF8

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Netflix launches British invasion

It’s a full on streaming invasion as Netflix launches its services in the UK and Ireland. American film-streaming giant Netflix launched its services today in the United Kingdom and Ireland with a strong offensive in the streaming turf war against Amazon’s Lovefilm. “We are starting 2012 in the best possible way: by giving consumers in the UK and Ireland an amazing entertainment experience,” said Reed Hastings, co-founder and chief executive officer of Netflix. “Now, you can enjoy as many great films and TV programmes as you want, when you want, where you want, for one low monthly price with no contracts or commitments.” The world’s largest streaming service has 20 million members in the US, Canada and Latin America, and was so popular in the US it accounted for a third of all internet use in one quarter last year. Despite this, however, Netflix suffered several difficult setbacks in the past year, shedding 800,000 customers after changes to subscription prices, and prematurely launching breakaway Quickster before nixing the scheme almost immediately. The company has said it expects to lose money this year because of the UK expansion, as it competes with broadcasters who have their own web services, streaming companies like Lovefilm, and free services such as Channel 4′s 4oD and the BBC’s iPlayer.

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Netflix launches British invasion

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Flagging Kindle Fire to be stoked with update

Despite its name, the Kindle Fire – Amazon’s highly promoted tablet – has seen relatively lukewarm success with its early users; however, a soon to be released update will seek to rekindle the fire (pun intended). When the device first hit the market, Amazon insisted the Kindle Fire was a hot top-seller . However, enthusiasm has somewhat cooled as the list of user complaints have grown, including: no external volume control; an off switch that is easily hit by accident; no privacy on the device; sluggish touch screens; as well as the ‘fat finger problem’ – where items on the screen are too small, leading to tap errors and accidental activation. According to a recent report in the New York Times , the individual grievances recorded on Amazon’s website have received some confirmation. Nielsen Norman Group co-founder Jakob Nielsen said the Fire offered a “disappointingly poor” experience and added, “I feel the Fire is going to be a failure. I can’t recommend buying it.” All of this would be enough to augur an early death for even the most heavily marketed item, but Amazon sees the Kindle as critical to its future success, and is willing to acknowledge it is working on improvements. “In less than two weeks, we’re rolling out an over-the-air update to Kindle Fire,” said Drew Herdener, a company spokesman. The update will reportedly include improvements in performance and multi-touch navigation, as well as allowing customers to edit the list of items that show what they have recently been doing. As the New York Times put it, “No more will wives wonder why their husbands were looking at a dating site when they said they were playing Angry Birds.” Additionally, an improved version of the device itself is due soon, though Amazon has declined to say exactly when.

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Flagging Kindle Fire to be stoked with update

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How to Become Panda Proof – Safeguard Your SEO

If you’re reading this, you probably appreciate that I’m not talking about the cuddly bear type creatures, but the algorithm updates by Google that are reputedly designed to increase the quality of the sites ranking near the top of the results pages. There have been 2 major ones this year and they have stricken fear into the hearts of Internet Marketers the world over. People have lost rankings left, right and center and there has been widespread panic. First of all, a disclaimer. I don’t know precisely how Google works.

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How to Become Panda Proof – Safeguard Your SEO

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HMV to offer online film rentals

Entertainment retail chain HMV has announced the launch of its online rental service to prop up dwindling sales from its retail stores. The retailer is teaming up with FilmFlex to offer film rentals of new releases at hmvon-demand – the new site devoted to the rentals initiative. Despite expanding its in-store offerings – HMV now offers everything from music and film to books, electronics and merchandise – stiff competition from online retailers has caused sales to plummet. Last year, the retailer’s pre-tax profits tumbled from

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iPhones to get airbags – maybe

Clumsy smartphone users may soon have a fighting chance when their iPhone slips from their fingers, as it’s emerged that Apple has filed for a patent that would provide smartphones with additional support. According to CNET , Apple has filed for the rights to a shock mount system that would help the device withstand a fall. Special pads underneath the smartphone’s glass screens will be inflated when the device senses it’s been dropped – to better shock absorb and screen save. The design also makes it possible to switch shock mounts in the event they’ve been used, so the device could withstand another fall in future and stand a better chance at speedy repair. The patent reads: “In general, the thicker the glass, the stronger it is

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iPhones to get airbags – maybe

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Websites With the Most Backlinks for November, 2011 & How to Improve Your Backlinks

Do you want to know how your website compares to the big players in your industry? Do you want to learn how to compete with these sites? This month, SEO analysis provider SEOprofiler.com has published a list of the websites with the most backlinks in November 2011. Comparing the backlinks of these websites with your own backlinks can help you to improve the position of your website. The necessary three steps are explained below. Backlinks are the cornerstone of successful search engine optimization

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Websites With the Most Backlinks for November, 2011 & How to Improve Your Backlinks

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