Consumer Electronics Daily News

Pikachu and His Pals Make a Powerful Team in PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond for Wii

Today’s launch of the new PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond game for the Wii console invites players on a new Pokémon adventure. Pikachu and his Pals – Oshawott, Snivy and Tepig – must work together to discover the secrets of the mysterious Wish Park and save missing Pokémon. Players can play as any one of these four Pokémon, and because each Pokémon has its own unique abilities, they’ll need to switch between them to overcome various obstacles along the way. Pikachu will encounter new Pokémon and reunite with old favorites in a colorful array of new areas and environments.

“The imaginative fun of the world of Pokémon really comes to life in PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “The game offers fun challenges and adventures for Pokémon fans of all experience levels.”

As they play through the game, players will also experience fun activities, battles and Attractions. In activities, Pikachu and his Pals can befriend other Pokémon by playing games such as chase and hide-and-seek, and even battles. Battles let players go head-to-head against powerful Pokémon. Attractions range from dancing to flying through space in a race around the stars. Family members and friends can all join in the fun, as one to four players can participate in Attractions, as long as each player has his or her own Wii Remote controller, which is sold separately.

Remember that Wii features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/wii.

For more information about PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond, visit http://www.pokemon.com/pokepark2.

BLU Products Announces The Studio 5.3 - World's First Affordable 5.3" Smartphone Device at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona

BLU Products ("BLU"), one of the fastest growing mobile phone providers in the US, announced today the release of its latest smartphone, the BLU Studio 5.3. With an ergonomic and stylish design, the BLU Studio 5.3 is the ideal personal communications device, combining the user experience of a tablet, with smartphone portability. The main features of the device are its powerful battery, one of the longest–lasting on the market today, and its massive high resolution 5.3" WVGA LCD screen all at an incredibly affordable price.

The BLU Studio 5.3 is powered by MediaTek's MT6573 processor, which incorporates a POWERVR Series5 SGX GPU to enable advanced 3D graphics capability bringing gaming and user interface capabilities that were previously available only to high-end smartphones. The device will be on display at Mobile World Congress at the MediaTek exhibit located in Hall 1, stand 1C58.

"MediaTek is a natural partner by providing an energy efficient and highly capable mass-market application processor, which will enable its clients to achieve new levels of capabilities and meet emerging consumer demands for advanced performance in lower-priced smartphones," said Samuel Ohev-Zion, Founder and CEO of BLU Products.

The BLU Studio 5.3 is currently available unlocked with Dual SIM support at several online retailers in the US, and throughout Latin America with the MT6573 650MHz variant. An upgraded version with MT6573T in 800 MHz will be launched globally, including in Europe and Asia, before the end of March at a retail price of 199 Euros unlocked. The device will offer HSDPA 3G support, as well as Android v2.3 Gingerbread OS.

Corning Delivering Corning Gorilla Glass 2 for Next Generation Consumer Electronic Devices

Corning Incorporated (NYSE:GLW) today announced the first shipments of Corning^® Gorilla^® Glass 2 to key device makers who plan to utilize the glass in new consumer electronics devices planned for release in 2012.

“Corning’s new glass composition, Gorilla Glass 2, enables slimmer and sleeker devices, brighter images, and greater touch sensitivity, providing an ideal solution for the newest, most sophisticated smartphones, tablets, and personal computers,” said David R. Velasquez, global director, Marketing and Commercial Operations, Corning^® Gorilla^® Glass.

“Since we launched Gorilla Glass 2 just last month at CES, we’ve qualified the glass with more than half of our current customers, and have shipped our first orders to customers who plan to start production and release product in the first quarter this year.”

Corning Gorilla Glass 2 is the next generation of the widely accepted damage-resistant cover glass for consumer electronic devices, enabling up to 20% reduction in cover glass thickness without sacrificing the performance consumers have come to expect from the world’s most widely deployed strengthened cover glass.

Introduced in 2007, Corning Gorilla Glass set the industry standard for damage-resistant cover glass. Today it is the most widely deployed cover glass, used by more than 30 major brands and has been designed into more than 600 product models, spanning over 600 million units worldwide.

Corning will demonstrate the new glass performance at the Pepcom event, MobileFocus Global, on Feb. 27, in Barcelona, Spain.

Apache Software Foundation Announces Apache ACE as a Top-Level Project

The Apache Software Foundation (ASF), the all-volunteer developers, stewards, and incubators of nearly 150 Open Source projects and initiatives, today announced that Apache ACE has graduated from the Apache Incubator to become a Top-Level Project (TLP), signifying that the Project's community and products have been well-governed under the ASF's meritocratic process and principles.

Apache ACE is a software distribution framework for managing and distributing modular software components, configuration data, and other artifacts to OSGi-based and related target systems.

Comprising a set of OSGi bundles, Apache ACE allows developers to easily manage the dependencies, deployment, and feedback of installed software components. This proves particularly useful when scaling across embedded and Cloud computing applications by covering the area of deploying and dynamically scaling applications in the cloud, as well as mobile platforms that would utilize ACE to create their own market or application store.

Using Apache ACE, updates and new components can be easily distributed while keeping a full history of what was installed where and during what period. In addition, ACE helps developers set up an automated development, QA/testing, staging, and production environment.

Initially donated to the Apache Incubator in 2009 by software solutions provider Luminis, a diverse and international group of developers joined the initial developers of the ACE code base to successfully form the Apache ACE community.

"We are excited that ACE has successfully graduated as a Top-Level Project," said Marcel Offermans, Vice President of Apache ACE and Fellow at Luminis. "Developing projects 'The Apache Way' stimulates widespread cooperation with individuals that each bring their specific knowledge to the project. Diversity is key -- the community is evolving the project in new and interesting ways, leveraging the collective expertise."

Availability and Oversight
Apache ACE software is released under the Apache License v2.0, and is overseen by a self-selected team of active contributors to the project. A Project Management Committee (PMC) guides the Project's day-to-day operations, including community development and product releases. Apache ACE source code, documentation, mailing lists, and related resources are available at http://ace.apache.org/

Fierce Competition Poses Greatest Challenge to US Tech Companies

According to more than one third (35 percent) of CFOs polled in a recent survey by BDO USA, LLP, competition and consolidation in the U.S. technology industry continues to pose the greatest challenge for companies. This is the second consecutive year that tech CFOs have cited competition as their greatest hurdle, a nod to the rapidly changing and increasingly global technology landscape, as well as ongoing concerns over retaining a talented workforce. In addition, the ability to manage risk is a rising concern for technology CFOs, with 65 percent more respondents citing it as a challenge in 2012 (33 percent versus 20 percent in 2011).

Still, when asked about their expected compensation in light of these challenges, tech CFOs are optimistic. With 75 percent of respondents citing company profitability as the primary performance metric impacting compensation, nearly all (94 percent) CFOs expect to see their pay increase or remain the same. Combined, these factors indicate a high-level of confidence that tech companies will either meet or surpass profitability targets this year, in spite of a competitive market.

“Tech companies are competing like never before,” said Hank Galligan, leader in the Technology and Life Sciences Practice at BDO USA, LLP. “Last year the industry entered into growth mode, and while that is largely positive, it also fueled rivalry. In 2012, the battle is on for talent, intellectual property and market share as companies look to emerge as leaders in the industry.”

These findings are from the fifth-annual BDO Technology Outlook Survey, which examined the opinions of 100 chief financial officers at leading technology companies throughout the U.S. The survey was conducted from December 2011 to January 2012.

Other major findings from the 2012 Technology Outlook Survey include:

Economy and consumer demand drive overall industry growth. The continued economic rebound in the U.S. will be the most significant factor driving industry growth this year, according to 50 percent of CFOs. Consumer demand for innovative personal technology was also cited as one of the greatest drivers of industry growth (18 percent). These were followed by international growth (13 percent), demand for green technologies (10 percent) and increased corporate IT budgets (9 percent).

Taxes hinder ability to compete, pending changes cause concern. The increasingly complex U.S. tax system is continuing to burden technology companies and 43 percent of CFOs believe it hinders their ability to compete in the global marketplace. Furthermore, 31 percent of respondents cited corporate tax rates as the area of greatest concern when it comes to tax reform, followed by aggressive state tax laws (23 percent) and taxation of overseas activities (19 percent). Fewer CFOs cited the expiration of incentives as a primary concern (16 percent) and only 11 percent cited transfer pricing. With this in mind, it is not surprising that the majority (68 percent) of CFOs also said the R&D tax credit had hardly any impact on their R&D activities.

New accounting rules result in more consistent pricing. More than half (55 percent) of technology CFOs feel that new accounting rules governing revenue recognition have resulted in more consistent pricing. Additionally, while the majority CFOs polled in the survey (88 percent) noted that the new rules did not have a major impact on selling practices, an additional 42 percent believe that the new rules allowed streamlined business processes. When asked about the ongoing debate between IFRS vs. GAAP, CFOs were split, with 55 percent preferring to stay with GAAP and 45 percent favoring either a full or gradual adoption of IFRS.

Demand for SaaS on the rise, but tech companies not leading the effort internally. While the overall marketplace demand for cloud computing and software-as-a-service is on the rise, tech companies have been slow to adopt the cloud internally. Nearly half (49 percent) of respondents are still not using cloud computing within their organization, a sign that while management understands the benefits of the cloud, integrating a system internally is not a high-priority. When asked about factors driving the skyrocketing marketplace demand for SaaS, CFOs cited increased efficiency (46 percent), reduced IT costs (35 percent), the ability to serve a larger customer base (13 percent) and offer more reliability (6 percent), an indication that corporate America is embracing SaaS and its related capabilities.

The 2012 BDO Technology Outlook Survey is a national telephone survey conducted by Market Measurement, Inc., an independent market research consulting firm, whose executive interviewers spoke directly to chief financial officers. Market Measurement used a telephone survey performed within a scientifically-developed, pure random sample of U.S. technology companies in the software, hardware, telecommunications, internet and information technology services sub-sectors.

City of Zhenjiang, China and IBM Collaborate to Build a Smarter City

IBM and the City of Zhenjiang, China today announced that IBM is helping to transform the city's public transportation system. Zhenjiang will use hardware, software, services and technologies from IBM's Research labs, all brought together through the IBM Intelligent Operations Center (IOC) for Smarter Cities – a solution that will serve as the central point of command for the city.

Zhenjiang is a renowned historical and cultural city in the eastern People's Republic of China (PRC), a region experiencing rapid economic growth.  Zhenjiang has an estimated population of three million people and has become an important regional transportation hub due to its location near the intersection of the Yangtze River and the Grand Canal, the longest canal in the world.  It is also considered a state model for environmental protection.

To bolster economic development, increase tourism and improve overall public welfare, the city initiated the "Smarter Zhenjiang, Smarter Tourism" project which includes plans to replace and upgrade more than 400 bus stations and over 1,000 public transportation vehicles. In conjunction with the system-wide upgrade, Zhenjiang will rely on IBM's Intelligent Transportation solution to provide city managers with a consolidated view of the transportation network, and initiate a new bus scheduling system that will use analytics technologies to manage traffic patterns and over 80 routes across the city.

A First-of-a-Kind (FOAK) IBM Research-developed platform will increase traffic throughput and improve the efficiency of its public transportation system while anticipating traffic jams before they happen. The solution will build on services assets that simulate transit fleets and passenger flow across the transportation network, while tapping into IBM technologies that enable real-time bus monitoring and route and dispatch management for the vehicle fleet.

The overall solution will provide a comprehensive, real-time picture of the city's traffic network to alleviate congestion, improve traffic management, maximize road capacity, rapidly respond to incidents and enhance the travel experience for citizens, business travelers and tourists.

"Building a smart city has become a strategic choice of the city's urban development as it creates profound impact on the city's information management standard and contributes to the formation of a huge industrial chain," said Mingnian Yin, Director of Reform Commission, City of Zhenjiang.  "Working with IBM, we will make our public transportation system faster and more efficient, while making our city a better place to live in."

"Our collaboration with Zhenjiang exemplifies IBM's commitment to supporting the government's agenda to build smarter cities in China," said D.C. Chien, General Manager, IBM Greater China Group. "We expect this collaboration to help transform the transportation system, support the government's effort of building a harmonious society, and accelerate the economic growth and transformation of this vibrant country."

According to Pike Research, by 2020 the Asia-Pacific smart city technology market will be worth $5.5 billion annually - a cumulative investment of over $36 billion between 2010 and 2020.  China represents the largest single market in Asia for smart city technology, roughly 30 percent of the total opportunity.

"It's estimated that up to $30 trillion will be spent on transportation infrastructure globally in the next 20 years. Building new physical infrastructure only goes so far, especially with the ever-present debate on the best ways to maintain roads, rails and terminals in the face of strained budgets and resources. By integrating technology and intelligence into the physical transportation infrastructure, cities can improve capacity, enhance the traveler experience and make transportation systems more efficient, safe and sustainable for future growth," said Gerry Mooney, General Manager, Smarter Cities, IBM. "With the IOC, Zhenjiang has access to advanced analytics technology that will make it easier for the city to predict potential disruptions so that they can minimize impact and deliver better services to people living in and visiting their city."

IBM's Intelligent Operations Center and Intelligent Transportation solutions draw on experience gained from over 2,000 Smarter Cities projects with cities around the world, and assets from IBM's hardware, software, services and research divisions. With flexibility and scalability, the Intelligent Operations Center can be extended to support a wide range of city services such as water management and public safety among others.

For more information for media, please visit www.ibm.com/press/smartercities. Registered journalists and bloggers can view and download video and b-roll at http://www.thenewsmarket.com/ibm.

Mitsubishi Motors North America Adds AeroVironment’s Turnkey Electric Vehicle Charging Station and Installation Solution to its Integrated EV Offering

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. and AeroVironment, Inc., an authority in electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure solutions, today announced AeroVironment’s selection as an additional authorized and approved nationwide supplier of EV home charging systems, on-site installation services and support for the all-new 100 percent electric-powered 2012 Mitsubishi i, providing drivers safe and reliable indoor/outdoor home charging and the ability to start everyday fully charged.

AeroVironment’s turnkey solution includes its UL-listed home charging station, permit acquisition, installation, customer training, 24/7 customer service and a leading three-year warranty on both parts and installation labor. With a single telephone call, EV drivers can order their charging station and schedule its installation from AeroVironment, a pioneer in the electric transportation industry for more than 20 years.

“The AeroVironment EVSE-RS Level 2 electric vehicle charging system is an easy-to-use, reliable and safe option for Mitsubishi i owners to use for charging their brand-new EVs in their own homes,” said Yoichi Yokozawa, President & CEO of Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. “AeroVironment has consistently delivered excellent and innovative EV products and services that cover every step of the purchase and installation process.”

Mitsubishi Motors is waiving the $99.99 site consultation for the first 2,000 customers to pre-order the 2012 Mitsubishi i until April 19, 2012. The on-site home consultation includes an analysis of current electrical wiring capacity, recommended station placement and a full breakdown of activities and costs related to installing an electric refueling system. AeroVironment’s trained and certified installers secure necessary permits, take into account specific homeowners’ and renters’ unique requests and account for both electrical and building requirements in local areas. Customers can schedule their site consultation by calling the dedicated AeroVironment/Mitsubishi Motors reservation hotline at 866-732-3219 or through an online portal, that will be accessible through the Mitsubishi i website.

“Automotive manufacturers like Mitsubishi are blazing new trails in clean transportation and delivering EVs that are more accessible to a wider population of drivers,” said Tim Conver, President and Chief Executive Officer, AeroVironment, Inc. “AeroVironment and Mitsubishi Motors share a vision where EV drivers enjoy a positive transportation experience that includes a full ‘tank’ at the start of every day. We look forward to working with Mitsubishi Motors to achieve that vision.”

AeroVironment delivers a full portfolio of EV charging systems that fit a wide range of consumer lifestyles and driving patterns – including solutions for the home, work, highway, and retail establishments. The Level 2 home charging station connects to a 240-volt line and is capable of recharging a fully depleted Mitsubishi i battery in approximately 7 hours. Additional AeroVironment charging solutions include a standard plug-in AC cord set (Level 1), a Level 2 connected or “smart” system for home and business use and DC fast chargers that can charge a completely empty main lithium-ion battery pack of a 2012 Mitsubishi i to 80 percent full in less than 30 minutes.

The 2012 Mitsubishi i is the most affordably-priced all-electric vehicle available to the mass market in America and features distinctive exterior styling, competent handling and a surprisingly roomy interior that comfortably seats four adults.

Panasonic to Supply Lithium-ion Battery Cells for Ford Motor Company's Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles

Panasonic Corporation today announced that it will supply lithium-ion battery cells for Ford Motor Company's hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles. The upcoming models of the Ford Fusion Hybrid Electric and C-Max Hybrid Electric as well as the Ford Fusion Energi and C-Max Energi plug-in hybrids will use Panasonic battery cells in combination with a gasoline engine.

With growing environmental concerns and escalating oil prices, demand for rechargeable batteries for eco-friendly vehicles is expected to grow rapidly. Panasonic is building up its battery business to meet such demand. The company is already supplying nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) battery cells and systems for hybrid electric vehicles to a growing number of automotive manufacturers around the world, including Ford Motor Company as well as lithium-ion battery cells and systems for hybrids, plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles.

The lithium-ion battery supply agreement with Ford Motor Company builds on a long-term partnership between the two companies. SANYO Electric Co.,Ltd , which was acquired by Panasonic last year, has been supplying Ni-MH battery systems for the Ford Escape hybrid vehicle since 2004. The company's battery systems have been powering the Ford Escape Hybrid, and the company's battery cells have been powering the Ford Fusion Hybrid, and Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. The partnership now expands to lithium-ion battery cells for the four Ford hybrid and plug-in hybrid models.  Battery cells are delivered in cell stack configuration to increase transportation efficiency and reliability. 

Panasonic continues to accelerate the development and commercialization of high performance rechargeable batteries for green vehicles and further expand its rechargeable battery business globally, thereby contributing to reducing the carbon footprint of automotive activity worldwide.

Paper Electronics is Successful: Where Next?

By Dr Peter Harrop, Chairman, IDTechEx www.IDTechEx.com

Electronics and electrics on or in paper is being used for security, safety, crime prevention, brand enhancement and merchandising. Cost, weight or bulk are a problem, so conventional electronics in paper products is being replaced with printed electronics. According to IDTechEx analysis in the report, "Brand Enhancement by Electronics in Packaging 2012-2022" (www.IDTechEx.com/brand), the global demand for electronic smart packaging devices is currently at a tipping point and will grow rapidly from $0.03 billion in 2012 to $1.7 billion in 2022. The electronic packaging (e-packaging) market will remain primarily in consumer packaged goods CPG reaching 35 billion units that have electronic functionality in 2022.

Three types of paper electronics

The very paper itself can be electronic or electrical. Secondly, electronics can be placed onto paper like the familiar talking gift card, which is increasingly printed to save space and cost. Thirdly, electronics and electrics can firmly buried in paper or operate by being on both sides of a paper sheet. 

Paper with inherent electronic functions

There are many forms of paper made to have inherent electric functions, including the conductive paper of Kimberley Clark that can be patterned into heaters, antennas and the like. Photovoltaic panels made from a paper made from material rather than wood or cotton could become a cheap, easy alternative to traditional solar cells. Within a few years, people in remote villages in the developing world may be able to make their own solar panels, at low cost, using otherwise worthless agricultural waste as their raw material.

That is the objective of MIT researcher Andreas Mershin, leveraging a project begun eight years ago by MIT. Its Shuguang Zhang is senior author of the new paper along with Michael Graetzel of Switzerland's École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. Zhang enlists photosystem-I molecules in plant cells that carry out photosynthesis. Zhang and colleagues them from plants, stabilized them and forms a paper layer to produce a photovoltaic current when exposed to light.

Even school laboratories can replicate this and make improvements. Efficiency is only 0.1% but huge areas can be viable and it can probably be improved tenfold or so to become useful in smaller areas if made fibrous. Accordingly, Mershin has now created a tiny forest of zinc oxide nanowires and a sponge-like titanium dioxide nanostructure coated with the light-collecting material derived from bacteria. This is a supporting structure carrying the electrons generated by the molecules down to the supporting layer of material to a circuit.

Professor Paul Yager, of the Bioengineering Department at the University of Washington, leads several subcontractors investing grants totaling up to $26 million to progress paper-based diagnostics. In two to three years, people miles from a laboratory may be able to cough, spit, or urinate on a piece of paper, upload the image on a cell phone and get lab-quality results for a range of illnesses. "Imagine what could happen if you knew what kind of virus you had," said Yager. "You would know whether you needed to go to the hospital or just go to bed."

Electronics on paper

"Printed Electronics Europe 2012" (www.PrintedElectronicsEurope.com) in Berlin, Germany 3 - 4 Apr 2012 is the premium event for paper electronics and allied subjects. Speaker Dr Philip Cooper of security printing leader De La Rue will explain how only energy harvesting systems have the potential to power low cost electronics on paper. His is powered by holding a mobile phone close to it. He notes, "Mobile phones are suitable power sources we all carry and we have fully printed UHF rectifiers that provide an activated security function". Fulton Innovation covers, "Printing Wireless Power" for charging mobile phones and other devices. Fulton Innovation's concept for Nestlé's Cheerios cereal box uses inorganic electroluminescent displays on the packaging, powered by inductive coupling. Dr Ellen Fu of the Nano and Advanced Materials Institute in Hong Kong and Caledon Controls in Canada are among those describing totally new ways of printing the transparent conducting films needed for many forms of display, photovoltaics and sensor. 

Electronics in or around paper

QR Codes are the barcodes you can scan on packages, posters or magazines to launch a website or unlock exclusive content. Unfortunately, reading the ugly large QR code requires activating a camera app on a phone or tablet, turning your device around, shooting a picture, and then suffering a delay as the appropriate app tries to interpret the code. Printechnologics GmbH, which will speak and exhibit at   "Printed Electronics Europe 2012" in Berlin, uses existing multi-touch smart phone displays to read digital information printed in paper, cardboard or foils: the phone thinks the hidden conductive pattern is your finger. Hence, it can be used for a broad variety of e-packaging, e.g. for marketing and consumer information applications like loyalty programs, brand protection, lotteries, and access to online content.  You unlock exclusive content in apps or web pages by simply touching printed materials such as business cards or packages to your phone or tablet screen.

Called Touchcode, the new technology works by embedding a thin layer of conductive pattern printed in or on paper and other items. Though the app should run on any multitouch-enabled, capacitive screen, it works best with panels that support at least 5-points of touch input. Like QR codes, Touchcodes can be used for launching web pages, enabling coupon codes, event ticketing, or even mobile payments. An alternative is the new Near Field Communication NFC phone using those standards to interrogate RFID labels on or in packaging, posters etc. They will complement each other. At the event, TNO of Finland looks generally at technologies for embedded conductive structures.

Professor Elvira Maria Fortunato of the New University of Lisbon will speak on, "Paper as a Substrate and Functional Component in Logic". Her discovery is that paper can form the gate dielectric in printed transistors and she will report how this is progressing to commercialisation. There are also presentations by the companies Enfucell and Blue Spark with many sales successes based on thin, flexible batteries made by patterning and impregnating paper in plastic film. Indeed, both will focus on applications in their presentations. P&G's Braun division presents on introduction of electronics into the Pampers paper products and consumer goods giants Mars and the Metro Group and Abbott Laboratories in healthcare diagnostics will detail their needs. Information Mediary Corporation has sold 800,000 smart blisterpacks that record which tablet was taken when in drug trials and it has also had success with other RFID and monitoring products, most of which involve paper. This year its topic is "Printed Electronics for Ultra Low Powered Smart Packaging".

All this has something in common with integrating electronics into textiles, something TITV Greiz is analysing at the event. Indeed, Lang Consulting Engineering covers solar cells in textile products.

For more information, see www.PrintedElectronicsEurope.com.

By Dr Peter Harrop, Chairman, IDTechEx www.IDTechEx.com

To Track or 'No Track': Monster Offers CEO says 'To Track' Better

A leading technology executive and father of two young daughters, offers his advice and opinion regarding the controversial, privacy-related issues surrounding the use of the "Do Not Track" buttons on your Internet browser.

Monster Offers (OTCBB: MONT) CEO Paul Gain, an enthusiast and advocate for the use of Daily Deals to save Americans money and help consumers make their disposable income dollars go farther, shares his perspective and position on the nationwide concern over the "Do Not Track" situation involving Internet browsing via Chrome, Mozilla, Internet Explorer and others.

On December 2, 2010, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) testified before Congress on Do Not Track legislation, proposing the concept of "Browser Setting So Consumers Can Make Choices About Online Tracking," which, among other things, called for adoption of a consumer privacy protection initiative with respect to tracking, collection, and information sharing of data relating to Internet usage and viewing habits.  More recently, in February of 2011, the FTC published a proposed framework for protecting online privacy, which many commentators believe could have a major impact on the online advertising market, as the report suggests implementation of a "Do Not Track" mechanism that some view to be similar in concept to the  "Do Not Call" list; under this approach, consumers could block the collection of online browsing data through their selection of the "Do Not Track" option, seemingly in much the same way that they can prevent those bothersome telemarketing calls by electing to be on the Do Not Call list.  Today, as reported in the Wall Street Journal, this issue gains even more attention and visibility with Google joining other Internet firms in the privacy initiative by agreeing to embed a "Do Not Track" button in its browser, thereby allowing users to restrict the amount of data collected on them. A copy of this WSJ article can be found at:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203960804577239774264364692.html?KEYWORDS=do+not+track

Commented Paul Gain, CEO and founder of Monster Offers, "Is this a simple and easy way to control perceived infringements on user anonymity and privacy on the Internet, much like the way we keep our phones quiet?    Obviously, while this is well intended and "well-intentioned", and while I certainly applaud the FTC and companies like Google in their efforts to protect our privacy rights, this blanket idea that the Internet can be turned on and off via a single button only serves to dumb down the importance and significance of a more tailored Internet experience; ultimately, I feel that the consumer may not fully realize the impact that an On/Off switch may have on our collective Internet experience.  We should realize that a negative consequence of turning off the tracking mechanism may be that in the vacuum of information, or should we call it, the information void, advertisers and content providers may have no alternative but to treat all Internet users the same, with the potential harmful and inappropriate result that Internet noise gets heard by all ears/all users.  For example, I personally like the fact that my daughters are not getting advertisements for Viagra, Nuvaring, Modern Bloodbath, and the latest R-rated horror film (there are some doozies nowadays), which might otherwise be sent their way if content providers/advertisers cannot track my children's Internet browsing usage and do not know who they are.   Quite simply, more information may be better when it comes to ensuring that age and sex-appropriate advertisements and messages are transmitted over this medium."

Mr. Gain went on to observe, "Also, I fear that this may open the door to a litany of further tweaks and so-called "enhancements" of the Internet platform by our new 'big-brothers' at behemoths like Google, Microsoft, and the leading advertising networks to manipulate our usage of the Internet in ways that serve their own economic interests, but not necessarily those of the users themselves.  Every day this prospect becomes more likely, given the undeniable fact that advertising dollars are being spent more and more based on Internet user clicks.

Ultimately, my personal feeling and belief is that this is a more complex issue than we have perhaps been led to believe, and that is a mistake, and small minded, to compare the "Do Not Track" option to the Do Not Call Registry (see http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2010/12/dnttestimony.shtm)."

Monster Offers would like your feedback on this issue.  Please click here to let us know what you think:
http://is.gd/do_not_track