There are two ways to look at this development - it's either a boon for Microsoft or it's ultimately inconsequential. Strong 43% growth should help kickstart Bing as it attempts to navigate past
But from another perspective, it's likely that the remaining 48% of Windows Phone users bookmark
iBEACON AT THE WORLD CUP: Coca-Cola, one of the most globally recognizable brands, is looking to utilize Apple's iBeacon to support its sponsorship of the 2014 World Cup. They look at iBeacon as an easy way to reach out to the massive number of fans in the stadiums of Brazil. (The Drum)
APPLE PAYS BACK PARENTS: The Federal Trade Commission has ruled that Apple must provide full refunds to customers who complained that a number of in-app purchases were made by their children without parental consent. Now, Apple will also have to modify its App Store billing practices so as to ensure that full parental consent has been achieved with every purchase. Still, the App Store already had a massive year, so it's unlikely that this new move will have a material affect on its future revenue potential. (FTC)
CONSEQUENCES OF NET NEUTRALITY: Prominent tech venture capitalist Fred Wilson speaks out on the ramifications of the latest net neutrality ruling which now allows Internet service providers to toggle Internet speeds or charge more for bandwith-heavy traffic. Wilson considers this in the context of the next wave of tech companies and anticipates that VC firms may ultimately be discouraged from investing in bandwith-intensive startups. (AVC)
A NEW MOBILE VIDEO LIFE: Viddy, the mobile video sharing app that withered when Facebook lost interest in it, has been bought by prominent YouTube partner channel Fullscreen and marks its first major acquisition as a company. They will bring on all 12 employees from Viddy's parent company Supernova. Fullscreen will likely utilize Supernova's specialization in mobile video to bolster their mobile offering. (Re/code)
MOBILE DATA COMPRESSION: Google has added a new data compression feature to its mobile Chrome browser so that users can reduce their data usage while browsing Chrome on a cellular network, with the end goal to save consumers money on data fees. (TechCrunch)
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