Archives for August 2012

Facebook Approaches 500 Million Mobile Users – Infographic

August 2, 2012 By EmmanuelFonte Leave a Comment

I do enjoy my cycling and it is a great way to keep fit, socialize and enjoy coffee all in one capsule of time.

It also is one way of refreshing the body, mind and soul from the the pressures of work and life.

Cycling though can be dangerous, with trucks and cars and other immovable objects threatening life and limb.

But there is a new and alarming epidemic and trend that is making the roads more dangerous and it is the addicted Facebook user checking their timeline on their mobile.

Luckily the police have realized this and in fact in Fort Lee, New Jersey in the USA they have started booking “dangerous” walkers who are not obeying the rules of the road“.

It certainly is about time because it would be embarrassing to report to my friends that I was injured cycling not from a hitting a bus but by being taken out by an over zealous and jaywalking Facebook user on their mobile!

Facebook Understands the Importance of Mobile

Facebook must have been talking to the police about this mobile addiction trend because they have just bought Instagram which isn’t even a social media website but just a mobile app (a mobile app that just happens to have nearly 40 million users).

Additionally Facebook has increased its focus on mobile in preparing for a mobile and social web that goes beyond the Instagram acquisition with the purchase of the Android photosharing app developer “Lightbox” as reported by Techcrunch.

Lightbox creates photo blogs from a users uploads and has been described as the “Lazy man’s Tumblr”

Now before you rush off and try and sign up to Lightbox, the acquisition is not the business or the app but only the team, as it will be closed down by June 15 and you will see its technology emerge as a Facebook mobile feature sometime in the future.

The other common element to take note of with both these acquisitions are that they are photo centric “apps”, because Facebook knows that photos are the highest engaging content on its platform (50% higher share rate than any other type of update on Facebook timelines)

The challenge that still remains for Facebook, is how they will monetize the burgeoning mobile space.

The Compelling Facts and Figures

One other compelling reason Facebook is aggressively chasing mobile users is that in the developed countries its growth is approaching saturation point.

In developing countries the use of mobile is predominant with telecommunications infrastructure being built around mobile technology instead of fixed.

This is evident with countries like New Guinea (78%) and Nigeria (81%) having some of the highest Facebook mobile penetration in the world.

54% Penetration of Facebook mobile (488 million out of 901 million users)
Android and Apple share the largest mobile platform usage at 19% each
iPad is 5% of Facebook mobile usage
The top 5 countries using Facebook mobile are USA, Indonesia and India followed by the UK and then Mexico

Filed Under: Blog, New Media Tagged With: facebook

See the INSIDE from the OUTSIDE, ANYtime – ANYwhere [video]

August 1, 2012 By EmmanuelFonte Leave a Comment

[pb_vidembed title=”” caption=”” url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05whx5TaJPQ” type=”yt” w=”600″ h=”338″]Continuing the tradition of enhancing the home search experience with innovative tools, John L. Scott introduces mobile apps for the iPhone, iPad and Android devices to bring you a full featured, mobile search experience – anytime, anywhere. Searching for a home has never been simpler or more convenient. Get comprehensive listing information in seconds on your Smartphone or mobile device.

Download it here from your mobile device: iPhone | iPad | Android

Filed Under: Blog, marketing, New Media, Real Estate, Technology

Who Are the World’s Richest Musicians? [Infographic]

August 1, 2012 By EmmanuelFonte Leave a Comment

This week we learned that Mariah Carey would replace Jennifer Lopez on American Idol — and would become the highest paid reality show judge of all time. You can just add that to her endorsement deals, Home Shopping Network deal, and, you know, her whole recording career.

2012 is shaping up to be a great year for Forbes-worthy musicians: Dr. Dre’s Beats Electronics acquired MOG, Jay-Z’s Brooklyn Nets completed their billion-dollar stadium, and Bono’s private equity firm saw its investment in Facebook pay off. How do they stack up against other millionaire (and billionaire) musicians? Check out the infographic below.

Filed Under: Blog, Music Tagged With: bono, elton john, paul mccartney, World’s Richest Musicians

Music From A Tree [Video]

August 1, 2012 By EmmanuelFonte Leave a Comment

[pb_vidembed title=”” caption=”” url=”http://vimeo.com/5583313″ type=”vem” w=”600″ h=”338″]In the garden of my house there’s a tree with lots of randomly grown twigs. It looks odd and nice at the same time. One day I asked myself if I could create a piece of music with it.

To tune the tree I picked a fundamental note and tuned the twigs by trimming them with a pencil sharpener. I used two Røde NT6 and a NTG-2 as microphones, combined with a customized stethoscope.

I recorded the tracks live on a Pro Tools LE system. I didn’t use any synthesizer or sampler to create or modify the sounds. All the sounds come from playing the tree, by bowing the twigs, shaking the leaves, playing rhythms on the cortex and so on.

At this link you can see some pictures with more detailed descriptions: behance.net/Gallery/Music-from-a-Tree/263872

Filed Under: Blog, Music

Seafair: Bridge Closures starting this Thursday

August 1, 2012 By EmmanuelFonte Leave a Comment

I always enjoy Seafair Weekend, the rush of the F18’s (There is NOTHING like it when they are passing over your head, the energy rush it leaves behind) and the excitement of the Hydro-planes!!!

And with that comes the Bridge Closures too…

So with that being said, I thought it might be of interest to have the Bridge Closure information, as well as pertinent websites, so you can make an informed decision as you navigate the area:

2012 – I-90 Seafair and Blue Angels Closures

The annual Seafair festival begins when the pirates land the first week of July and ends with the Blue Angels flying over Lake Washington in a spectacular display of aeronautics. The Washington State Department of Transportation’s (WSDOT) role is to make sure drivers and pilots are safe during the annual event.

The Federal Aviation Administration requires WSDOT to close Interstate 90 while the Blue Angels perform for the safety of both drivers and pilots.

Which roads and ramps will be closed?

Interstate 90 will be closed to all vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists, eastbound and westbound, mainline and express lanes, between Interstate 5 in Seattle to Island Crest Way on Mercer Island:

Thursday, Aug. 2: 9:45 a.m. – noon & 1:15 – 2:30 p.m., (Practice)
Friday, Aug. 3: 12:45 p.m. – 2:40 p.m., (Practice)
Saturday, Aug. 4: 12:45 p.m. – 2:40 p.m., (Full show)
Sunday, Aug. 5: 12:45 p.m. – 2:40 p.m., (Full show)

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/northwest/king/seafair/

Boeing Field will be closed to private pilots during the Blue Angels performances. For information about specific closure times: http://tfr.faa.gov/tfr2/list.html

Here’s where can I get more information: http://www.seafair.com/

Have a SAFE and FUN weekend

Filed Under: Blog, Random Thoughts Tagged With: blue angels, seafair

Housing Market Lifts Off From the ‘Bottom’

August 1, 2012 By EmmanuelFonte Leave a Comment

Recent housing indexes have shown single-family home prices are on the rise, providing more evidence that the “bottom” of the market is already behind.

"We’re wiping out just about all of the decline,” Joel Naroff, chief economist at Naroff Economic Advisors, told NBC.com about recent housing data showing home prices inching up. “It indicates the market has turned the corner on the pricing side.”

Some recent housing indexes suggest that the “bottom” of the market was reached in January 2012. Since that time, housing prices have been picking up in many housing markets.

But "the turnaround in home prices was unexpected," says Patrick Newport, an economist with IHS Global Insight. "The conventional wisdom in February, following that landmark agreement [of the $26 billion mortgage settlement with the nation’s five largest banks], was that we would see a surge in foreclosures of some size that would lead to lower home prices. This surge never materialized and home prices have turned.”

Newport points to several signs of a housing market on the mend. For one, housing starts are up, after reaching a low in the fourth quarter of 2011. Also, he says the FHFA monthly House Price Index shows a 3.7 percent increase in May year-over-year, which he notes is higher than inflation and “means that real housing wealth, a consumer spending driver, was also up.”

The increase in home prices is also leading to a fewer number of home owners who are underwater on their mortgages, owing more on their mortgage than their home is currently worth. The number of underwater home owners fell from 12.1 million at the end of 2011 to 11.4 million at the end of the first quarter this year, according to CoreLogic data.

Source: “Evidence Mounts that Home Prices Hit Bottom Last Winter,” NBC News

Filed Under: Blog, Economy, real estate financing, Real Estate Updates Tagged With: bellevue real estate, issaquah real estate, king county real estate, sammamish real estate, seattle real estate