Apple's New iPad in Production

The new Apple iPad is coming, and will be thinner and lighter than the first model, the Wall Street Journal reports. It will have at least one camera on the front of the device for features like video-conferencing, but the resolution of the display will be similar to the first iPad. It will also have more memory and a more powerful graphics processor.

The new iPad will be available from AT&T and Verizon Wireless, but not Sprint or T-Mobile USA.

Apple's New iPad in Production - WSJ.com (subscription required)

Google Steps Up Mobile Ad Sales Efforts

Google is ramping up its efforts in mobile advertising sales efforts. Apparently, sales forces are trying to get existing advertising clients to extend their campaigns to mobile devices.

'I don't see any reason why mobile advertising won't be relevant to every single advertiser,' said Karim Temsamani, Google's head of mobile advertising."

Google Steps Up Mobile Advertising Business - Mobiledia

Mozilla Firefox 4 Beta Adds "Do Not Track"

The latest Firefox 4 Beta includes a “Do Not Track” privacy feature to provide more control over online behavioral tracking.

Mozilla Firefox 4 Beta, now including “Do Not Track” capabilities | The Mozilla Blog

Zong Integrated with Android

Mobile Payment Trial Finds More Transactions, Higher Average Purchase Value

A mobile payments trial including more than 1,500 customers of both mobile network operator Telefónica and La Caixa bank, using Samsung S5230 NFC phones loaded with la Caixa Visa cards, with 500 participating merchants, has found that customers used the Visa cards stored on their NFC phones to carry out 30 percent more transactions, with a 23 percent increase in the average purchase value, than they had with their traditional plastic cards.

Users mostly made micro-payments with their phones: 60 percent of the purchases were for amounts equal to or less than €20. Some 75 percent of transactions took place during the working week.

Consumers made the largest number of purchases at supermarkets (57 percent) and restaurants (14 percent).

The average age of customers using their mobile phone to pay for their purchases was 46. Some 90 percent of users said they would continue to use their mobile phone for payments.

Read more here.

70% of Sprint’s Devices to be Android-Based

Sprint’s Fared Adib, who replaced Kevin Packingham, Sprint VP, says that 70 percent of Sprint devices would also be running Android in 2011. That's what a company does when it cannot sell the Apple iPhone. It worked for Verizon, and AT&T, without iPhone exclusivity, plans to ramp up Android device sales as well.

70% of Sprint’s Devices to be Android-Based, Bigger 4G Push in 2011

Social Sign-In Works

Allowing online consumers to conduct social sign-in for an e-commerce site rather than create a new user account can produce higher levels of spending and customer satisifaction, according to a new survey from social user management platform provider Janrain and Blue Research.

Data from “Importance of Identity Solutions” indicates that during the 2010 holiday season, 21 percent of those who consider social sign-in desirable (fans) expected to spend more than in 2009, compared to 16 percent of critics.

Survey data also shows that 75 percent of consumers will avoid creating a new user account for an e-commerce site, with 54 percent leaving the site or not returning, 17 percent going to a different site if possible, and four percent leaving or avoiding the site.

Furthermore, of consumers who have created a new user account, 76 percent admit to giving incomplete or incorrect information. About 55 percent of consumers agree they are more likely to return to a site that automatically recognizes them.

Social Sign-In Produces Profits