Vodafone is reportedly planning a stock market listing for its Indian subsidiary by the end of this year in a move that could raise around US$2.5 billion for the company. Click here for more.
from Cellular News http://bit.ly/28Uu1PQ
jeudi 23 juin 2016
Flexible Solar Cells That Can Wrap Around a Pencil
In the latest probe into the extreme physical limits of the technology, South Korean scientists have made solar cells thin and flexible enough to be wrapped around small objects.
from Electronic Design http://bit.ly/290uyM2
This funny robot pets your dog’s head and feeds them a treat
While this recent project may look like something straight out of Simone Giertz’s notebook, it’s actually the brainchild of James Cochrane. The engineer, who admittedly loves building all sorts of crazy machines, has developed an apparatus he calls the IoT Robot People/Pet Affectionator.
As its name would suggest, the Affectionator is an Arduino Nano-driven device that automatically gives his dog T-Bone a pat on the head along with a spoon-fed treat at the touch of an arcade button. That’s not all, though. It even allows the pup to reciprocate by pressing his own button and sending over a token of his appreciation on a fork–which in Cochrane’s case is a gummy worm.
Aside from the Arduino, the Affectionator is equipped with two H-Bridge motor drivers, two geared Pittman motors, and two geared hobby motors.
These days people are more connected with each other, however we are experiencing fewer physical interactions. This device will allow you to provide affection either locally or remotely to your pet without any physical contact. If your pet decides you are also worthy of their affection they can also reciprocate with a pat on the head and a tasty treat.
One day while giving my dog T-Bone a scratch behind the ears I came up with this silly idea. A robot which gives you a pet on the head and feeds you a treat. With the IoT, you can also build two of these and network them across the Internet.
Intrigued? Watch the hilarious idea in action below!
from Arduino Blog http://bit.ly/28PMxZ5
Cosmic Bitcasting is a wearable radiation detector
Cosmic Bitcasting is a digital art and science project emerging from the idea of connecting the human body with the cosmos by creating a wearable device with embedded light, sound and vibration that will provide sensory information on the invisible cosmic radiation that surrounds us. This open-source project actually works by detecting secondary muons generated by cosmic rays hitting the Earth’s atmosphere that pass through the body.
Artist Afroditi Psarra and experimental physicist Cécile Lapoire worked together to develop a prototype of the wearable cosmic ray detector during a one-month residency at Etopia in Zaragoza, and is currently on display at the Etopia-Center for Art and Technology in Zaragoza as part of the exhibition REVERBERADAS.
Cosmic Bitcasting is comprised of an Arduino Lilypad, High Flex 3981 7×1 fach Kupfer blank conductive thread from Karl Grimm, Pure Copper Polyester Taffeta Fabric by Less EMF, white SMD LEDs, a coin cell vibration motor, and an IRL3103 MOSFET with a 100 Ohm resistor to drive the motor.
Intrigued? Take a look at the video below and read the diary of the residency to learn more!
from Arduino Blog http://bit.ly/28QFHjC
Maker Faire Rome Call for Makers: Deadline June 30, 2016!
A big thanks to everyone who already submitted their projects, performances, and workshops for Maker Faire Rome. However, due to such an incredible demand, the Call for Makers submission deadline has been extended to Thursday, June 30th. That means you have one more week to send your applications to participate in the 4th edition of Europe’s biggest innovation event, held October 14-16,2016 at Fiera di Roma.
Want to join us in celebrating Maker culture this fall? With more than 100,000 square meters of exhibition space available, submit yours now!
Prizes and contests
All the projects selected within the Call for Makers are automatically eligible for the following prizes and contests if they match the requirements specified in each regulation.
- R.O.M.E. Prize – Rome Outstanding Maker of Europe – 100,000 euro!
- Make to Care – Projects about health and disability
- Startup Contest – Projects related to Internet of Things (IoT)
from Arduino Blog http://bit.ly/28TiPRG
Four ways to boost your ad viewability on mobile
What’s ad viewability and how is it measured? In this post we'll look at those questions and offer four ways to make your ads more viewable and profitable on mobile screens.
What’s viewability?
Most of us know that ads used to be measured by impressions: if a page loaded, and the ad was anywhere on that page, that counted. There was an obvious problem with this: if the ad was below the fold of the page, and the user didn't scroll down to see it, there wasn’t a chance for that ad to be seen. And ads that can’t be seen, don’t deliver results and can’t drive the impact that Advertisers are looking for.
Advertisers today want more transparency and effectiveness, and that's where ad viewability comes in. Now, by Media Rating Council and IAB standards, a display ad is counted as viewable when at least 50% of the ad is within the viewable space on the user’s screen for one second or more.
That means an ad unit on the first screen ("above the fold") will be counted as viewable if a user opens the screen for one second, but an ad below the first screen will not be counted unless the viewer scrolls down. Check out this interactive demo to see how viewability works first hand.
What’s viewability?
Most of us know that ads used to be measured by impressions: if a page loaded, and the ad was anywhere on that page, that counted. There was an obvious problem with this: if the ad was below the fold of the page, and the user didn't scroll down to see it, there wasn’t a chance for that ad to be seen. And ads that can’t be seen, don’t deliver results and can’t drive the impact that Advertisers are looking for.
Advertisers today want more transparency and effectiveness, and that's where ad viewability comes in. Now, by Media Rating Council and IAB standards, a display ad is counted as viewable when at least 50% of the ad is within the viewable space on the user’s screen for one second or more.
That means an ad unit on the first screen ("above the fold") will be counted as viewable if a user opens the screen for one second, but an ad below the first screen will not be counted unless the viewer scrolls down. Check out this interactive demo to see how viewability works first hand.
Why does viewability matter?
Advertisers naturally tend to bid more for viewable impressions because they have a higher chance of being seen and as a result more likely to engage an advertiser's target audience.
Smart advertisers are paying closer attention to the ads that they are paying for and are looking to ensure that the ads they buy have a chance to be seen by users. One way to track viewability is to check the Active View index in AdSense; it shows the percentage of ads that are viewable out of the total number of ads counted on the page. If one out of two ads are viewable, the rating is 50%.
Viewability helps both advertisers and publishers. It lets advertisers identify their high- and low-value inventory and adjust budgets and targets to maximize reach and ROI. As they learn which inventory has the highest viewability, advertisers can better set their advertising strategies.
For publishers like you, focusing on viewability will increase the long-term value of your inventory. If an ad unit is rarely viewed, you may learn that viewers don't scroll to that area, quickly scroll past it, or that the ad size or format may need adjustment. You can discover the most (and least) valuable spots on your pages and optimize your ad units accordingly, rather than just scattering as many ads as possible.
How do I create more viewable impressions on mobile?
While numbers vary, a viewability index of around 50% is fairly typical. In general, the higher the index, the more people are seeing your ads ― although few sites reach 100%. On smaller mobile screens, publishers should consider which ad sizes earn them the most in different placements on their pages.
Here are four ways publishers can optimize their mobile viewability:
- Replace 320x50 ad units with 320x100. Revenue per thousand impressions (RPM) tend to increase when you move to the large mobile banner ad. By using the 320x100 ad unit, you allow the 320x50 ad to compete as well, doubling the fill-rate competition. The best practice is to put the ad just above the fold.
- Use 300x250 ads for a potential increase in fill rates and RPMs. 300x250 is built to fit most mobile screens. It also tends to have a high fill rate (and higher RPMs) since many advertisers prefer this size. Research has shown that a 300x250 ad unit placed just below the fold could generate an approximate 50% viewability rate, helping you to maximize the impact of your ad space.
- Cut accidental clicks by moving ads at least 150 pixels away from content. As you improve viewability, you can also improve the user experience and decrease spam rates by leaving room between ads and the context. 150 pixels of space is a good starting point; test and adjust to see what works best with your content.
- Use page-level ads designed for mobile devices. To keep pace with the trend to mobile, Google AdSense has launched two kinds of page-level ads: anchor ads and vignettes. Both are designed to increase mobile viewability. Anchor ads, as their name implies, stick to the bottom of the page as the user scrolls. They are smooth and easily dismissed, and they are typically reserved for high RPM ads.
Vignettes are full-screen ads that appear as users move between pages on a website. These pre-loaded ads display immediately as the user leaves a page, so there's no waiting, and users can dismiss them at any time. Vignettes are reserved for the highest-paying ad impressions.
Summary
Viewability is a publisher's friend. It can help you understand the real performance of every ad to improve your strategy for ad formats and placement. It can also help you increase your revenues in a smarter way.
Viewability is still relatively new in digital advertising. More and more advertisers are taking the index into account as they allocate future budgets. If you're a publisher, it's a good idea to get ahead of the curve on viewability data and start making adjustments now. Take a look at this infographic for more best practices on how to improve the viewability of your site.
Posted by Silu Luo, from the AdSense Team
from Inside AdSense http://bit.ly/28Q60WQ
Argentine Networks Offered Access to Government Sites
Argentina's government has said that it will let telecoms operators have access to state-owned properties at no charge in order to make it easier for them to expand their network coverage. Click here for more.
from Cellular News http://bit.ly/28TXnfM
Huawei Working on New User Interface for Android Phones
Huawei is reported to be working on a revamp of its Android user interface to make it more appealing to Western audiences. Click here for more.
from Cellular News http://bit.ly/28SvnbP
Majority of Americans Deny Their Smartphone Behaviors
It appears the majority of Americans need a dose of reality when it comes to their own smartphone behaviors. Click here for more.
from Cellular News http://bit.ly/28XM8At
Researchers find T-Mobile's Binge On doesn't live up to the hype
New research shows that what T-Mobile promises is not what you, or content providers, may actually get. Click here for more.
from Cellular News http://bit.ly/28XMd74
O2 Eyes London Stock Market Listing
The parent of UK based O2 has confirmed that it is considering a stock market listing following a decision to block the sale of the company to Hutchison 3G UK. Click here for more.
from Cellular News http://bit.ly/28PB7lC
Spain's Masmovil Buys Yoigo from Telia
After years of failed attempts, Sweden's Telia has finally sold its majority stake in Spain's Yoigo -- to local telco, Masmovil. Click here for more.
from Cellular News http://bit.ly/28TJkqp
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