Google’s real Android strategy

Google’s primary goal is not to sell hardware and generate revenue from mobile advertising, but to gather signals for better targeting advertising, and to provide more useful information to the user so it becomes a must use service:

An Android device, properly signed into a Google account and running all the Google Apps, generates an endless stream of little bits of ‘signalling’ information, way beyond what Google gets from a desktop search user even if they’re using Chrome. It knows where you live and work, how you commute – and which phone numbers on web ads you dial. Unlike a web browser, you are probably always signed in to Google, so all of your interactions with Search, Maps and anything else can be linked together. (This, of course, is also the main purpose of Google Plus.) source

Just like Google Analytics

EVERYTHING you do, Google uses for profiling

Since NEXUS 7 appeared with the Jelly Bean update, there have been discussions about how Google passively tracks your online actions in order to serve you on time “smart cards” on Google Now.

From my experience, what I’ve seen were weather location and events cards that were deducted from things that I explicitly give to Google through web queries, Google latitude and Google Calendar.

But today things changed a little bit on a very twisted way. When I opened Google Now, I had a smart card with driving directions to a hotel. If you think that I have searched for that hotel, been there or have an event schedule there you are totally wrong.

The only thing I have EVER done regarding that hotel, was to see its Facebook page for about 2-3 minutes, 10 minutes ago. On my Chrome desktop!

What are the implications of this?

EVERYTHING you do on a Google device/Service or app is real time monitored, processed and used in profiling you
As a marketer, is important to cover all the field when planning your strategy. Missing to cover a certain web property will lead to loosing clients in the near feature.
If you are paranoid (not even highly, just mildly), now would be the right time to cut all your online interactions and hide at the bottom of a cave

The technical infrastructure behind this level of data processing will (not even could) give Google a strong advantage over the competition (Read Apple & Microsoft) and will assure a strong financial future for the company

The answer is: iPad mini. What is the question?

UPDATE:

Well, in fact the Celullar version of Ipad Mini has a better GPS than Nexus 7. But still, comparing Wifi version of Ipad Mini and Nexus7, Nexus7 wins. We will see on the 29th October if the Celullar version of Nexus7 can keep up with the competition

And the questions is:

On what 7″ tablet I don’t have a full GPS?

This post is inspired by a question posted by the multi system GPS app Copilot. As a Nexus 7 (proud even now) owner, I didn’t imagine even for a second that the new Ipad Mini doesn’t have at this moment a full GPS sensor. Amazed being, I looked at the 9.7″ Ipad specs only to find out that there is none there either.

What a hell?? Has anyone from Apple traveled lately outside their city? Haven’t they seen tons of tourists using their Ipads taking pictures? A full GPS sensor is a must for any tablet because it just makes a tablet a full XXI century travel guide.

Yes, the app ecosystem on Android is a disaster* with no known travel brands having city guides, but that doesn’t mean that Apple has even the slightest bit of logic in comparing on stage the Nexus7 with the Ipad Mini. At least on Nexus 7 are a few excellent GPS apps that make travelling more fun.

If Ipad Mini is good due to the ecosystem is because of the developers. And developers for some specific apps that feel crippled on iOS can quickly switch sides if there is profit to have.

*Android tablet apps section from play store looks like the digital section of Toys”R”Us not as a business/productivity/creativity section that it should be

What are the signs of an authority website?

For a while now, brand and authority have been key terms when discussing SEO. But if you start searching for what is an authority website, the information becomes very muddy or misleading. One of the most discussed description for authority websites is centered around the links (volume and quality) that the domain gets. From my experience and having a few clients that created online brands, this is a description that might lead SEOs on a wrong path and end with a penalty.

In my SEO strategy, there are 2 types of signs for a quality domain:

When looking in your web analytics, your top referring keyword should be the name of the website (the brand) and at least other 5 other strings from your top 20 should contain it.

This is a strong factor as it is usually related directly to natural human behavior and cannot be modified (so easily) or by any script kiddie. While this a positive factor, you should also monitor the graphs for your brand searches, because there seems to be a strong correlation between a decrease in brand searches and overall rankings.

For searches within your vertical, or for searches of competitors brands, your targeted brand appears as a related search

Every niche has easily identifiable brands (brands that always appear on niche related strings). Once your targeted domain starts to appear on related searches for them, is a sign for you that you are on a good path.

Why is it so important to have a brand/authority domain? Well, here are a few incentives for you:

Once you are a brand on a niche, is easier to rank for niche related keywords
Brands can avoid penalties for darker shades of gray hat SEO
Brands get priority for rich snippets implementations

Can you build an authority / brand domain without links? Yes you could, but the strategies vary from niche to niche

The beginning…

Cheetah Robot is a fast-running quadruped developed by Boston Dynamics with funding from DARPA. It just blazed past its previous speed record, getting up to 28.3 mph, about 0.5 mph faster than Usain Bolt’s fastest 20 meter split. This version of the Cheetah Robot runs on a treadmill with offboard power. Testing on an untethered outdoor version starts early next year.

via Gizmodo

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