Latest News from Shelly Palmer

Shelly Palmer chats with Ernie Anastos and Dari Alexander on Fox 5 News at Cellphones on Virgin Atlantic Airlines

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:00:15 EDT

Shelly Palmer chats with Ernie Anastos and Dari Alexander on Fox 5 News at Cellphones on Virgin Atlantic Airlines.

The Advent of Word-of-Mouth Advertising

Tue, 15 May 2012 15:45:00 EDT

As far as we have been able to determine, the phrase “Word-of-Mouth Advertising” was coined by Ernest Dichter who, in 1966, published an article in the Harvard Business Review entitled, “How Word-of-Mouth Advertising Works” Dichter was a psychologist by training. His firm focused on consumer behavior and the motivations that drive them, including the role of persuasion in advertising. He is generally considered to be “the father of motivational research,” and the first to coin the term “focus group,” a technique that helped him understand “why,” why people were motivated to buy or do or think something. His work helped advertisers to shift their focus from straightforward product information and statistics, to image and persuasion. Dichter brought this perspective to his HBR article, which began with the observation that whenever his firm would ask consumers “what made you buy this brand or particular product?” the answer invariably came back, a friend, expert or relative who told me about it. To Dichter, this prompted the important question, “Why in a time of increasing advertising volume does Word-of-Mouth recommendation loom so high?”

Microsoft to Charge $15 for Windows 8 Upgrade Deal

Tue, 15 May 2012 15:16:00 EDT

Microsoft will charge users who buy a new Windows 7 PC $14.99 for an upgrade to Windows 8, according to a report. The cost of the upgrade was revealed yesterday by Paul Thurrott, a popular blogger who writes SuperSite for Windows. Read the full story at Computer World.

Facebook Buys out Lightbox

Tue, 15 May 2012 14:31:15 EDT

This week Facebook has been announced as purchasing Lightbox, this purchase topping off their recent $1 billion dollar grab of Instagram and coming up right behind their summer IPO. This service purchase will have lightbox.com shutting down sign-ups immediately and will have current users given a final chance to download their current photo collection before [...]

Shelly Palmer chats with Fox 5′s Steve Lacy & Heather Nauert about Apple’s iCloud on Good Day Wake Up

Tue, 15 May 2012 14:00:15 EDT

Shelly Palmer chats with Fox 5′s Steve Lacy & Heather Nauert about Apple’s iCloud on Good Day Wake Up.

Chrome 19 Launches

Tue, 15 May 2012 13:42:00 EDT

Besides the usual bug fixes and performance improvements, the highlight of today’s Google Chrome release is the addition of tab syncing to Chrome. With this, Chrome users can now have their open tabs synced across all of their devices, including tablets and phones that run the Ice Cream Sandwich-only Chrome for Android beta.

Lenovo Announces World’s Thinnest Ultrabook, ThinkPad X1 Carbon

Tue, 15 May 2012 13:31:19 EDT

Lenovo announced a wave of notebook updates this morning, including new range of ultrabooks set to run Intel’s brand new third-generation Ivy Bridge processors. Among the models released is a new 14-inch ultrabook, the ThinkPad X1 carbon, which the Chinese firm claims is the “thinnest ultrabook in the world.” Read the full story at Tech [...]

Cyberwar 1.0: China vs The USA…We’re in Trouble!

Tue, 15 May 2012 06:00:00 EDT

“In the past year, one in seven large organizations detected hackers within their systems.” This is the highest level recorded, said the recently released PwC 2012 Information Security Breaches Survey. It was completed in conjunction with Infosecurity Europe and supported by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Shelly Palmer Radio Report

Tue, 15 May 2012 03:01:00 EDT

Here’s my favorite mac rumor of the day. 9to5mac.com says that Apple is getting ready to release a new 15″ MacBook Pro that will be almost as thin as it’s 13″ MacBook Air and even more powerful. New features will include a retina display, like the stunning screens on the new iPad, and USB 3.0 for very fast device to computer connectivity. Of course, it’s just a rumor, but 9to5mac.com says look for the new MacBook this summer. And, according to the Wall Street Journal, Apple is also preparing its first major upgrade to its iCloud service. Soon you will be able to share photos with others, as opposed to just between your own Apple iDevices – and, sync your personal videos as well. Sources say that all of this may be part of Apple’s next mobile operating system iOS 6, and could be announced as early as June. Which is great because starting July 1, everyone’s going to forced to be on iCloud.

Virgin Atlantic to Allow In-Flight Cellphone Calls

Mon, 14 May 2012 17:01:09 EDT

Talk about long distance. Virgin Atlantic has announced that it’s letting customers make calls with their own cellphones — provided they’re on the airline’s new Airbus A330 flying between London and New York.According to the Daily Mail, the service will expanded to about 20 planes in Virgin Atlantic’s fleet by the end of 2012. Read [...]

A Futurist’s Personal Technology

Mon, 14 May 2012 16:40:00 EDT

Read the full story at Davide Houle. I am frequently asked about what technology I carry and use. This is due in large part because I am a futurist and to many people technology and the future are close to synonymous. That of course is not wholly true, but certainly understandable as it is technology [...]

Facebook Boosts Mobile App With Bigger Photos in Your News Feed

Mon, 14 May 2012 16:05:51 EDT

Facebook is updating its mobile app to make photos appear more prominently in users’ News Feeds. The social network, on the verge of becoming the most valuable U.S. tech company after its IPO this week, announced the redesign Monday via the Facebook Mobile Page. Read the full story at Mashable.

Report Tips Thinner, 15-Inch MacBook Pro

Mon, 14 May 2012 15:34:00 EDT

Apple is readying a brand-new, 15-inch MacBook Pro that will sport an ultra-thin design, a higher-resolution Retina display, and USB 3.0 ports, according to a new report.Citing unnamed supply chain sources, 9 to 5Mac said the updated laptop is currently in test production, and is slated to come out this summer. Read the full story [...]

Apple upgrading iCloud with new photo-sharing features, says the Wall Street Journal

Mon, 14 May 2012 15:24:16 EDT

WWDC 2012 is only a few weeks away, and as such, all manner of Apple software rumors are starting to make the rounds. Today, the Wall Street Journal is reporting that iCloud will gain some new features, most notably a way to share galleries of photos with other iCloud users. Read the full story at [...]

Shelly Palmer Radio Report

Mon, 14 May 2012 03:01:00 EDT

There are some big changes at Yahoo! In what can only be described as a stunning victory for Dan Loeb and his hedge fund Third Point, Scott Johnson will resign as Yahoo’s CEO and three of Mr. Loeb’s hand-picked directors will join Yahoo!’s board. Although the official announcement will say that Mr. Johnson’s is leaving for personal reasons, Loeb has been pressuring Yahoo to fire Johnson for quite some time. Just this past week, Yahoo gave in after Loeb publicized his suspicions that Thompson had fudged his resume by adding a computer science degree that he did not earn. The phony document was filed by Yahoo with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Which is serious stuff. Thompson’s squirrelly explanations of the gaff tied Yahoo’s hands. What will happen now? Ross Levinsohn, Yahoo’s current EVP and head of global media will become interim CEO and Third Point’s new directors will take their seats. How this affect Yahoo? Visit shellypalmer.com to learn more about it.

Apple’s Siri Touts Nokia Lumia 900 as ‘Best Smartphone Ever’

Mon, 14 May 2012 00:42:00 EDT

Far from the first time Apple’s Siri has made headlines, new reports have suggested that asking the voice commanded service the seemingly self evident question “What is the best smartphone ever” has seen a number of surprising answers. Read the full story at T3.

FBI Warns Travelers of Pop-up Window Cyber-Attacks

Mon, 14 May 2012 00:28:06 EDT

If you’re traveling abroad, your laptop could be attacked. That much, is certain, according to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, which warned this week that hackers are “targeting travelers abroad through pop-up windows while establishing an internet connection in their hotel rooms.” Read the full story at CNN.

Intel Windows 8 Tablets to Hit Retail Stores in November

Mon, 14 May 2012 00:15:10 EDT

The first wave of Intel-based Windows 8 tablets are expected to land in retail stores in November …”more than 50 percent” of the “more than a dozen” designs will be hybrids, aka convertibles, the source said. Those designs combine aspects of a traditional physical keyboard-based laptop and tablet. Read the full story at CNET.

iOS 6: Apple Drops Google Maps

Mon, 14 May 2012 00:05:00 EDT

According to trusted sources, Apple has an incredible headline feature in development for iOS 6: a completely in-house maps application. Apple will drop the Google Maps program running on iOS since 2007 in favor for a new Maps app with an Apple back end. Read the full story at 9 to 5 Mac.

We Are All Direct Marketers Now

Sat, 12 May 2012 05:00:00 EDT

Mass Marketing dominated the last century: You need to reach the masses through as many channels as possible. You need retail stores, fliers, website, PR, Ads, Social Media, and and and and and…until you finally reach critical mass and you succeed. Target is a mass marketer, Huyndai and Delta.

Facebook Tests ‘Pay to Promote Post’ Tool

Fri, 11 May 2012 12:45:25 EDT

Facebook has started testing a system that lets users pay to highlight or promote posts. By paying a small fee users can ensure that information they post on the social network is more visible to friends, family and colleagues. Read the full story at BBC News.

Shelly Palmer Radio Report – May 11, 2012

Fri, 11 May 2012 03:01:00 EDT

The FBI is warning travelers to beware of software updates offered while logging in to hotel or public networks. The bureau says that users are being tricked as follows: You’re in a hotel, you complete the login process, then you’re offered a software update. If you click, you will infect your computer. So, here’s what [...]

Latest iPad mini rumor puts price at $200 with 8GB storage

Thu, 10 May 2012 17:36:32 EDT

A smaller version of the iPad will be less expensive and offer less storage than Apple’s full-sized model, but will have the same resolution, according to a new report. Citing a previously reliable source, iMore today adds to the handful of existing iPad mini rumors, with something a little different. Read the full story at [...]

The Xbox Is the Most Popular Video Player in the U.S.

Thu, 10 May 2012 16:24:24 EDT

More evidence that Microsoft is increasing its lead in the digital living room race: Data that shows its Xbox gaming console is the most popular non-PC device to watch Web video. That is, more people are watching Web stuff on Microsoft’s machine than on the iPad, iPhone or any Android machine, anywhere. Read the full [...]

Mozilla, Google Irked by IE-Only Windows RT

Thu, 10 May 2012 15:46:51 EDT

Mozilla and Google have hit back at Microsoft over what they consider to be restrictive browser settings within the Windows on ARM version of the upcoming Windows 8 OS. In a Wednesday blog post, Harvey Anderson, Mozilla’s general counsel, argued that “Windows on ARM – as currently designed – restricts user choice, reduces competition and [...]

Apple OSX Lion 10.7.4 Fixes Password-Exposing Bug, Blocks Outdated Flash

Thu, 10 May 2012 14:50:11 EDT

Apple has pushed out OS X Lion 10.7.4 addressing over 30 vulnerabilities, including a password-exposing bug in FileVault. Apple also added a new feature in Safari that auto-disables outdated Adobe plugins. Read the full story at PCMag

Facebook Rolls Out File-Sharing for All Groups

Thu, 10 May 2012 14:39:53 EDT

Facebook has revealed to Mashable that all Groups will now offer the ability to send files. This update rolls out to a small percentage of groups Thursday, and will become available to others during the following days. If you don’t have the feature already, Facebook wants you to know you’ll have it “soon.” Read the [...]

Bing to Be Revamped in War for Search Engine Supremacy

Thu, 10 May 2012 13:33:00 EDT

When Facebook goes public in the coming weeks, there will be a lot of winners. Among them is one of the stalwarts of the tech industry, Microsoft, which has a small stake in the company. But Microsoft has an even bigger bet on Facebook through an alliance between its Bing search engine and the social [...]

Facebook Announces App Store for iOS, Android and Web Users

Thu, 10 May 2012 11:23:00 EDT

The rumors of a Facebook app store were true, it appears, as the company has announced an app-pushing portal that will be accessible both by mobile users and by those on the web.But earlier talk of Facebook pushing HTML5 apps to Apple’s iOS platform and thereby circumventing the iTunes App Store seem to have been [...]

Google Adds More Semantic Smarts to its Search Engine

Thu, 10 May 2012 05:30:00 EDT

Google seems to be eking out a major new tweak to its search results. Reportedly spotted by several users, the search pages are now displaying semantic data nestled to the right of the regular results. Such information tries to tie in relevant facts related to the subject of your search rather than just providing links [...]

Media Sales Executives: Hurry, Buy This Book

Thu, 10 May 2012 05:00:00 EDT

Originally posted at Media Biz Bloggers. When I became VP of Sales Strategy and Development at AOL’s Interactive Marketing division in 1998, I was asked to become active in a membership that the division had in the Sales Executive Council (SEC), part of the Corporate Executive Board. I remember attending my first meeting of the [...]

Shelly Palmer Radio Report – May 10, 2012

Thu, 10 May 2012 03:01:00 EDT

Are you really going to buy high-fashion clothing online? Couture dresses, designer suits? Amazon thinks so. The world’s most famous online retailer has signed up a whole bunch of high-end designers including Michael Kors, Vivienne Westwood, Catherine Malandrino, Jack Spade and Tracy Reese, and it’s looking for more. Why now? It’s about money of course. [...]

FBI: Beware Of Malware Installed Via Hotel Networks

Wed, 09 May 2012 17:05:29 EDT

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is warning travelers to be in the lookout for fake software updates booby trapped with malware that are being pushed through hotel internet connections. Read the full story at Forbes

Amazon Leaps Into High End of the Fashion Pool

Wed, 09 May 2012 16:39:51 EDT

Amazon is so serious about its next big thing that it hired three women to do nothing but try on size 8 shoes for its Web reviews. Full time. The online retailer is shooting 3,000 fashion images a day in a photo studio using patent-pending technology. Read the full story at The New York Times

Annals of Oprah: Why OWN isn’t Working

Wed, 09 May 2012 15:50:00 EDT

Originally posted at TV HOWL. Oprah Winfrey’s OWN isn’t working for the simple reason that Oprah herself seems passé. Why opine on this subject today? Because the news is all over the place that losses are mounting at OWN. Among other places, a front-page story in the Wall Street Journal says Discovery has sunk $312 [...]

New Driver’s Ed: Tutors to Decode High-Tech Dashboards

Wed, 09 May 2012 15:00:29 EDT

Paula Latshaw is eager to get behind the wheel of her new Lexus CT 200h hybrid at Sewell Lexus in Dallas. But first, she needs some training. Her new car isn’t the most technologically advanced car Lexus sells, but the navigation system, the voice-controlled hands-free phone system and the multiple radio options are challenging enough. [...]

Shelly Palmer Radio Report

Wed, 09 May 2012 03:01:00 EDT

Microsoft confirmed that there will be a $99 xbox. It’s the 4GB model and they will be selling them at 16 of the 21 Microsoft retail stores. What’s the catch. Actually, there are several. First, you will have to agree to a two year $15 per month contract, bringing the price of a normally $299 [...]

Twitter Debunks Reports of 55,000 Hacked Accounts

Tue, 08 May 2012 22:37:41 EDT

Hackers claiming to be affiliated with the hacktivist group Anonymous claimed this week to have accessed and published the details of about 55,000 Twitter accounts. Read the full story at Mashable

AT&T Mobility CEO: Family data plan coming soon

Tue, 08 May 2012 16:58:38 EDT

AT&T’s version of the family data plan may be coming sooner than you think. The company has a firm hold on what type of plan it will offer and intends to offer one soon, said Ralph de la Vega, CEO of AT&T’s mobile business. Read the full story at CNET

Microsoft Pledges to Go Carbon Neutral

Tue, 08 May 2012 16:47:00 EDT

Microsoft has pledged to make all of its data centers, software development labs and any other direct operations carbon neutral, starting in fiscal 2013. Read the full story at The Washington Post

Microsoft developing Kinect-like controller that uses sound waves

Tue, 08 May 2012 16:42:13 EDT

Microsoft Research has developed a new gesture-based motion controller that makes use of the Doppler effect to detect in-air gestures done around the device. The project is called SoundWave and what’s particularly interesting about it is that it doesn’t need any additional hardware in order to work. Read the full story at ZDNet

Federal Government to Watch MySpace for 20 Years for Privacy Violations

Tue, 08 May 2012 15:50:00 EDT

Should MySpace last the next 20 years, it’ll have at least one close observer: the federal government. MySpace’s privacy practices will be kept under close watch by a third-party observer for two decades as part of a settlement related to an investigation of the company’s advertising sales strategy, the FTC announced Tuesday. Read the full [...]

Social Marketing: Past Is Prologue

Tue, 08 May 2012 15:15:00 EDT

On May 22, my new book, The Face-to-Face Book: Why Real Relationships Rule in a Digital Marketplace will be published. Coauthored by Brad Fay, it is a book about the hugely important social wave that is rolling across the world of business today. But unlike many books and articles argue that online social networks are creating this social wave, we argue that the largest and most important part of social influence is that which happens when conversations happen in the real world, face to face. There is a vast array of tools and approaches that can be tapped by marketers to drive these real world conversations. You can download a free excerpt from the book here. While researching the book, I reviewed the history of word of mouth and social influence. It was a clear reminder that past is prologue. From a marketing perspective, focus on the role of word of mouth was quite robust in the 1940s, ‘50s and into the ‘60s, before marketing was overtaken by the era of the Mad Men and “the Golden Age of Advertising” and long before the Internet or online social networking.

RIM names new COO, CMO

Tue, 08 May 2012 14:47:19 EDT

Research in Motion (RIM) on Tuesday appointed a new chief operating officer (COO) and chief marketing officer (CMO) as RIM prepares to launch BlackBerry 10 smartphones later this year in hopes of reversing a decline in its global smartphone share. Read the full story at Computerworld

Shelly Palmer chats with Fox 5′s Steve Lacy & Heather Nauert about Microsoft’s $99 Xbox 360 on Good Day Wake Up

Tue, 08 May 2012 07:30:15 EDT

Shelly Palmer chats with Fox 5′s Steve Lacy & Heather Nauert about Microsoft’s $99 Xbox 360 on Good Day Wake Up.

Shelly Palmer Radio Report – May 8, 2012

Tue, 08 May 2012 03:01:00 EDT

Now that you have a powerful smartphone, a tablet, a great laptop and Internet access almost everywhere, wouldn’t it be great if you could get any TV show you wanted to watch on any device anytime? That’s the idea behind Nimble TV. The new cloud TV service will charge you a small fee to stream [...]

Disney Turns Your Body Into a Touch Screen

Mon, 07 May 2012 19:23:46 EDT

Touching and swiping on your smartphone or tablet is so 2011. What if you could select a new song, craft a text message, or launch an app without ever touching your gadget? Read the full story at PCMag

Google gets license to test drive autonomous cars on Nevada roads

Mon, 07 May 2012 19:02:32 EDT

On Monday, the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles approved Google’s license application to test autonomous vehicles on the state’s roads. The state had approved such laws back in February, and has now begun issuing licenses based on those regulations. Read the full story at Ars Technica

Google Extends Hangouts on Air Broadcasts to All

Mon, 07 May 2012 18:38:42 EDT

On Monday, Google opened up its Hangouts on Air broadcasting capability to the world at large on Monday, providing a video record to the Web at large. Read the full story at PC Mag

AT&T Introduces Digital Life: IP-Based Home Automation And Security System With 24/7 Monitoring Centers

Mon, 07 May 2012 18:31:25 EDT

AT&T has just announced a new security and home-automation system called Digital Life, which will be an IP-based platform that allows users to monitor and detect activity throughout their house remotely, and “take action” (as AT&T put it) on devices like PCs, tablets, and smartphones. Read the full story at TechCrunch