Microsoft's expensive investment and Nokia's risky gamble appear to be paying off.
Kantar is out with its smartphone domestic market share report for the second quarter, and after conducting more than 240,000 interviews in this country, it appears as if Windows Phone is gaining ground as a mobile operating system.
Hold your applause.
We're only talking about Windows going from 2.9% a year ago to 4% today. This remains a country where Google's Android and Apple's iPhone command a whopping 94% of the market.
In fact, Microsoft's growth hasn't really come at the expense of Google or Apple. They combined for just 91.8% in market share a year ago, so clearly the two market leaders are even more popular today. Microsoft's growing at the expense of BlackBerry , which has seen its stateside market share shrink from 4% to 1.1% over the past year.
Yes, Microsoft's share of smartphone sales during the last three months is the same as BlackBerry's land grab during the same three months of 2012. That's not very encouraging, but then you have to keep in mind that Windows Phone is on the rise. BlackBerry has given us little reason to make it seem as if it's not a platform on the way out.
When Microsoft and Nokia teamed up to champion Windows Phone through Nokia's Lumia line, it was a brazen move. Microsoft would offer up billions in guarantees to Nokia, and the Finnish handset maker would throw its weight behind a fledgling mobile platform instead of joining Samsung in putting out a ton of Android devices.
Nokia's stock has taken a beating as sales haven't been up to snuff, and even Microsoft slumped after posting uninspiring financial results earlier this month. Clearly both companies have a long way to go if they want to be taken seriously in the smartphone market, but at least they're taking baby steps in the right direction.
Our digital and technological lives are almost entirely shaped by just a handful of companies -- and Microsoft's one of them. Find out "Who Will Win the War Between the 5 Biggest Tech Stocks?" in The Motley Fool's latest free report, which details the knock-down, drag-out battle being waged by the five kings of tech. Click here to keep reading.
The article Microsoft and Nokia Have a Long Way to Go originally appeared on Fool.com.
Longtime Fool contributor?Rick Munarriz has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Apple and Google. The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple, Google, and Microsoft. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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Pwnie Express has a knack for stuffing powerful security testing tools into innocuous housings, and this time their flexing that unique talent with the Pwnie Plug R2. Ars Technica's gotten ahold of the contraption ahead of its debut at the Black Hat conference, and it's boasting a healthy number of upgrades, including 4G service through AT&T and T-Mobile. Security hawks keen on testing network safety will be greeted with a fresh UI, one-click penetration tests and a new OS dubbed Pwnix, which is a custom version of the Debian-based Linux distro Kali. When it comes to hardware, the box packs a 1.2GHz Armada-370 ARM CPU, 1GB of RAM, a 32GB microSDHC card, a pair of gigabit Ethernet ports, a high-gain industrial Bluetooth adapter, two USB slots and a microUSB port. Naturally, the package supports WiFi 801.11 b/g/n and carries a SIM slot for those cases where you need to SSH in from halfway 'round the globe. If the $895 asking price doesn't make you flinch -- or you dig daydreaming about hacking for good or evil -- venture to the source for a breakdown of the gear's abilities.
Yelp might have a new competitor in the making ? decades old restaurant guide book Zagat.
Today, the Google-owned company ? acquired nearly two years ago by the Internet search giant ? launched a new website and mobile app that, among other things, will list its coveted restaurant ratings for free.
For the first time, the company said, its ratings and surveys are available without a need to register.
In addition, its newly launched local sites will feature news and video content from local editors as well as curated lists, such as the 10 restaurant by Bay Area food-show stars. It also has added the ability to see restaurant ratings on Google maps when you search for a place to eat.
?These days, the challenge in deciding where to go is not about a lack of information or user reviews, but finding accurate information and trusted opinions so you can quickly make informed decisions,? said Gannon Hall, group product manager and head of Zagat, on the company?s blog.
For now, the service is only available for restaurants and nightlife in nine cities, including San Francisco, but will eventually expand to over 50 destinations worldwide.
Ren?e Frojo covers hospitality, restaurants, retail and nonprofits for the San Francisco Business Times.
Researchers who collect genetic samples from children for medical research need to explain the process more clearly to parents, according to a new study that suggests many parents don't fully understand the finer details about how these samples will be used and stored. The study was published in June in Genetics in Medicine.
Kim McBride, MD, MS, principal investigator in the Center for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Research in The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, and colleagues followed up with families enrolled in a genetic biobanka storage facility for DNA, genetic data, and tissue samplesafter their initial consent, to find out whether they were fully aware of the nature of their agreement. The results were alarming: more than half of all parents misunderstood key concepts of the study.
Ensuring parental understanding of the consent process is a crucial element of ethical genetics research, says Dr. McBride. For the study, he and his colleagues collected anonymous questionnaires from families that had consented between 2004 and 2008 to the storage and analysis of their children's DNA samples in a genetic biobank. The biobank was created to study the genetics of congenital malformations of the heart's left ventricular outflow tract.
The researchers found that, while parents had a good grasp of some consent concepts, other important information was poorly understood. For example, parents understood that their consent was voluntary and the samples would be used for research on the causes of heart defects. However, they overestimated how the research might benefit their child and undervalued the risks of enrolling in the study.
"Although the primary purpose of the study was to obtain biologic samples for future testing, parents did not understand that their child's samples would be stored indefinitely," Dr. McBride says. When both parents were involved in the decision, they displayed a better overall understanding of the true nature of the consent agreement than parents making the decision alone.
Most families participating in research are involved with clinical trials, which involve a different set of expectations and agreements during the consent process than genetic sampling. "Participants in a clinical trial are enrolled in a treatment and are followed over time with the expectation that they may receive a new and better therapy," Dr. McBride says. In a biobank study, however, participants cannot typically expect any personal benefit or even any follow-up.
This is starting to change, however. Some new models for biobank studies are more inclusive of the research subject, offering on-going contact and return of results that may impact their health, says Dr. McBride, who also is an assistant professor in pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. "To provide individuals and families with adequate knowledge to participate in genetic research, informed consent delivery must evolve, especially as the demand for genomic data increases."
Interventions to improve understandingoften incorporating visual aids and video consentingprovide promising results, but few studies demonstrate their effectiveness for biobanking consent. Furthermore, there is currently no movement to adopt these techniques widely, something Dr. McBride says warrants consideration. "The focus of researchers should shift to how to improve the informed consent process through alternative methods of consent delivery, so that consenting families are truly informed partners in genetic research."
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Researchers who collect genetic samples from children for medical research need to explain the process more clearly to parents, according to a new study that suggests many parents don't fully understand the finer details about how these samples will be used and stored. The study was published in June in Genetics in Medicine.
Kim McBride, MD, MS, principal investigator in the Center for Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Research in The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, and colleagues followed up with families enrolled in a genetic biobanka storage facility for DNA, genetic data, and tissue samplesafter their initial consent, to find out whether they were fully aware of the nature of their agreement. The results were alarming: more than half of all parents misunderstood key concepts of the study.
Ensuring parental understanding of the consent process is a crucial element of ethical genetics research, says Dr. McBride. For the study, he and his colleagues collected anonymous questionnaires from families that had consented between 2004 and 2008 to the storage and analysis of their children's DNA samples in a genetic biobank. The biobank was created to study the genetics of congenital malformations of the heart's left ventricular outflow tract.
The researchers found that, while parents had a good grasp of some consent concepts, other important information was poorly understood. For example, parents understood that their consent was voluntary and the samples would be used for research on the causes of heart defects. However, they overestimated how the research might benefit their child and undervalued the risks of enrolling in the study.
"Although the primary purpose of the study was to obtain biologic samples for future testing, parents did not understand that their child's samples would be stored indefinitely," Dr. McBride says. When both parents were involved in the decision, they displayed a better overall understanding of the true nature of the consent agreement than parents making the decision alone.
Most families participating in research are involved with clinical trials, which involve a different set of expectations and agreements during the consent process than genetic sampling. "Participants in a clinical trial are enrolled in a treatment and are followed over time with the expectation that they may receive a new and better therapy," Dr. McBride says. In a biobank study, however, participants cannot typically expect any personal benefit or even any follow-up.
This is starting to change, however. Some new models for biobank studies are more inclusive of the research subject, offering on-going contact and return of results that may impact their health, says Dr. McBride, who also is an assistant professor in pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. "To provide individuals and families with adequate knowledge to participate in genetic research, informed consent delivery must evolve, especially as the demand for genomic data increases."
Interventions to improve understandingoften incorporating visual aids and video consentingprovide promising results, but few studies demonstrate their effectiveness for biobanking consent. Furthermore, there is currently no movement to adopt these techniques widely, something Dr. McBride says warrants consideration. "The focus of researchers should shift to how to improve the informed consent process through alternative methods of consent delivery, so that consenting families are truly informed partners in genetic research."
###
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?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
In my last post I opened up about my issues that prevent me from being my complete authentic self all of the time. I wrote a paragraph about how I cut corners from living my truth and how I fear being judged and rejected. Well, apparently the Universe read my post and decided to give me a heads up, because, ironically, I received two weekly?newsletters?that I sign up for covering the topic of living authentically, despite the opinions of others. The first was an email from The Wellness Warrior. In this email, Jessica Ainscough wrote about how she was tempted to curtail a blog post she was working on so that it wouldn?t spark controversy, as she has strong opinions on the topic she was presenting. However, she realized that if she did this, she would be selling herself, and her blog, short, as she has made it part of her mission to be as authentic and honest as possible. If she were to focus on making her blog post diplomatic and bi partisan,?she would be excluding her personality and the quality that makes her unique from other wellness bloggers, from that post. Here is what she had to say about this in her weekly newsletter:
?This week, I was also a special guest at an event called ?Soulpreneurs?, and I was asked to speak about how I?ve built my business based purely on authenticity??I told the audience about how I?ve been rewarded with so much abundance in direct proportion to the amount I?ve unapologetically been myself.
So, if you experience criticism in your life, I want you to remember this:
Don?t attach to it. It means that you?re making a difference ? if you?re not receiving criticism, it means you?re not being authentic. It doesn?t matter what we have to say ? there will always be vocal people who don?t agree. Every single person who has made a difference in this world has faced opposition for it. Always speak your truth ? even if your voice shakes.?
As if this beautiful message weren?t enough, I then realized that the weekly newsletter from The Simply Luxurious Life had made its way into my inbox, and I proceeded to digest it. About ten seconds into reading it, I had already realized the synchronicity. In this newsletter, Shannon Ables wrote about how mentors and role models are amazing sources of inspiration and guidance, but at the same time, we need to make sure that we choose our own path and seek the things that are important and relevant to us. Society will often give us rules and boundaries to influence how we go about our lives and this may be totally fine for some, but for others, this?conditioning?may not allow them to live their life to its fullest potential. She emphasized finding the courage to break away from taking the path most traveled and, instead, finding a route that will make us feel totally alive. To dare to be and honor who we are, even when we meet resistance and?nonacceptance.
Here are several excerpts from her newsletter:
?Role models are meant to inspire us and show us what?s possible. Mentors are meant to lead us and guide us. And while it is a wonderful blessing to have such people to look up to, it is important that we realize our own uniqueness?
?As Anna Quindlen alludes to in today?s quote, we?should not?try to be exactly as everyone thinks we should be -?following the trail that someone else has left for us. Instead, we should follow our own path.
We can use that?trail provided by our role models and mentors?as?a starting point or as a checkpoint, but we must be brave enough to?charge out on our own, let our hair down and be ourselves ? our authentic selves.
?Ironically enough, it is easier to follow?the path that someone else suggests we travel than it is to find the courage within ourselves to simply?be our best selves. Because when we follow the ?rules? we can blame someone else if it doesn?t feel right or we can feel a?faux calm upon doing what is needed to be?accepted?
?Instead we should accept who we are individually and not apologize for finding contentment in a life that?others may not understand.?
These were the words that inspired me yesterday, and which I might be adding to the pages of my planner, because this is precisely the area that I need to work on. Being authentic is of up most importance, because with it we will accomplish what we were placed here to do. This isn?t just about becoming more confident or ridding ourselves of silly insecurities (although these are wholly important). Our ability to be ourselves influences our ability to fulfill our life?s purpose, which doing so makes everything else in our lives much more satisfying and meaningful.
As Marie Forleo often says, ?The world needs that special something that only you have.??Those singular traits that ?single? you out and make you feel insecure and different, those are the ones that need to shine, because the only way to stand out and hold value among so much competition, is to charm the world with your?personality and unique way of expressing yourself. When you do so, you inspire others to do the same, and contrary to what most believe, you become more?likable?and attractive.
A great example, albeit a bit fashion oriented, is this: Which models, when interviewed backstage, are most memorable and seem the most personable? the ones that come across as uninterested and lacking in personality (a.k.a. ?normal?) or the ones that boldly talk about topics that interest them and say it like it is (a.k.a. authentic)?
To conclude, here is the quote by Anna Quindlen that Shannon included in her newsletter:
?Nothing important, or meaningful, or beautiful, or interesting, or great ever came out of imitations. The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.?
The city responsible for the first solar-powered family car and a building shaped like a UFO is no stranger to creativity. Eindhoven, Netherlands was recently named "most inventive city" by Forbes magazine, probably thanks to the High Tech Campus (HTC) research and development center located there. The HTC is the result of the Dutch government's initiative to bolster high-tech innovation in the region after rounds of layoffs from companies like Philips. Scads of tech firms are holed up within HTC's walls including IBM, Intel and Accenture, with a focus on open cooperation and sharing of ideas and resources. Apparently, this has paid off in spades. According to the HTC's website, the campus is responsible for roughly 50 percent of the Netherlands' almost 10,000 patents each year. Yowza.
Longtime Fool contributor?Rick Munarriz has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Apple and Google. The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple, Google, and Microsoft. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. 
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Public release date: 29-Jul-2013
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