Friday, 3 February 2012
Facebook surrenders its privacy in IPO documents
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Facebook is baring its business soul.
The unveiling came late Wednesday when the company that depends on people to share their lives online filed its plans to raise $5 billion in an initial public offering of stock. It's a revelatory moment that prospective investors, curious competitors and nosy reporters have been awaiting for two years. During that time, Facebook established itself as a communications hub and emerged as a threat to the Internet's most powerful company, Google Inc.
As with almost anything crafted by a bunch of lawyers and bankers, the 197-page prospectus that Facebook filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is filled with boilerplate legalese and mind-numbing numbers.But there were some juicy details in there, too.
Above all, the documents confirmed what everyone had been hearing: Facebook is very profitable and getting stronger. The company Mark Zuckerberg started with some friends in 2004 has seen its annual revenue soar from $777 million in 2009 to $3.7 billion last year. Facebook's earnings have grown at a similar rate too, ballooning from $122 million in 2009 to $668 million last year.
Facebook ended 2011 with $3.9 billion in cash. That's a relatively small amount compared to the nearly $45 billion that Google has in the bank.
Facebook's prosperity has been fueled by a steady expansion of its audience, making its website a more attractive marketing vehicle for ads, which account for most of the company's revenue. Facebook ended last year with 845 million users, up 39 percent from 608 million at the end of 2010. Those users share their interests and preferences prodigiously. Facebook recorded a daily average of 2.7 billion "likes" and comments during the final three months of last year.
Facebook has become so addictive that more than half its audience — 483 million users — log in every day.
Facebook's revenue total disappointed some people who pored through the documents. One reason: The company generates about $4.39 in revenue per user. "That is a surprisingly low number," said University of Notre Dame finance professor Tim Loughran, who studies IPOs. Google's annual revenue of nearly $38 billion works out to more than $30 per user of its services.
"Facebook needs to find more ways to get revenue from their users," Loughran said.Facebook listed its most promising expansion opportunities as Brazil, Germany, India, Japan, Russia and South Korea. The company, based in Menlo Park, Calif., eventually hopes to make its service available in China if it can navigate rules requiring online content to be censored if the Chinese government considers it to be objectionable or obscene.
The IPO filing gives some clue when Facebook is likely to surpass 1 billion users. If it can add users at roughly the same pace as last year, Facebook should surpass the 1 billion mark this summer.As it is, Facebook already generates 44 percent of its revenue outside the U.S. The company is also developing other sources of revenue beyond online advertising faster than Google. Advertising accounted for 85 percent of Facebook's revenue last year. It made up 96 percent of Google's. Facebook's other revenue sources include the 30 percent cut of sales it takes from game makers and other external applications companies that sell things on its website.
The big question is whether Facebook's numbers are impressive enough to fetch the lofty IPO price. It's still too early in the process for Facebook to reveal how much it intends to ask for its shares, but Wednesday's filing provides some clues. Facebook valued its Class B common stock at $29.73 at the end of December, down slightly from appraisals of $30.07 in June and September. If this unfolds like most hot IPOs, Facebook will probably try to sell its shares at a premium. That could mean an IPO price in the $35 to $40 range. Investor demand, though, ultimately will dictate the pricing.
Facebook still hasn't listed how many outstanding shares it has, but the documents make it possible to make a rough estimate of the company's market value at the end of last year. Financial notes in the filing show Facebook calculated it had about 2.9 billion fully diluted shares at the end of December. That works out to a market value of about $86 billion, based on Facebook's $29.73-per-share self-appraisal.
At that price, the nearly 534 million shares that the 27-year-old Zuckerberg owns are worth about $16 billion. The filing indicates Zuckerberg will sell an unspecified number of shares in the IPO to cover a tax bill for exercising a stock option to buy 120 million shares. Zuckerberg has been collecting a $500,000 salary but that will fall to one dollar next year at his own request, according to the filing.
Other big winners in the IPO include: Facebook co-founder and old Zuckerberg friend, Dustin Moskovitz, who owns nearly 134 million shares; venture capital firm Accel Partners, which owns 201 million shares; Russian investor DST Global Ltd., which owns 131 million shares; and former PayPal CEO Peter Thiel, who owns nearly 45 million shares.
Hundreds of other Facebook employees could become millionaires because they receive stock as part of their compensation. Facebook has about 3,200 employees now, nearly 2,000 more than it did two years ago.
Facebook also shared some of its biggest worries in the filing. Among other things, it cited Google's ability to use its dominance in Internet search to promote its Google Plus social network. Facebook also frets the possibility that regulators in Europe and the U.S. may impose tougher privacy rules that would make it more difficult for the company to stockpile information about its users.
Reference:Yahoo NewsTuesday, 31 January 2012
HTC Sense
HTC Sense is a graphical user interface developed by HTC Corporation for mobile devices running Android, Brew and Windows Mobile.
Based on the TouchFLO 3D design,HTC has referred to HTC Sense as both a user interface in itself and also as a user experience layer on top of TouchFLO 3D.
Announced June 24, 2009, the first phone running Android to feature HTC Sense was the HTC Hero,and the first Windows Phone to feature HTC Sense (an updated TouchFLO) was the HTC HD2, announced October 6, 2009.
Announced June 24, 2009, the first phone running Android to feature HTC Sense was the HTC Hero,and the first Windows Phone to feature HTC Sense (an updated TouchFLO) was the HTC HD2, announced October 6, 2009.
Saturday, 14 January 2012
Arifa Karim is no more
Arifa Karim is no more. She lost battle of live and death on Saturday . Geo news reported.
Wednesday, 11 January 2012
Samusung looking to hurt Nokia in 2012
The time of Nokia's unquestionable reign in the mobile phone market is drawing to a close it seems, as the Finns lost the smartphone shipment race last year. Samsung are reportedly gunning for the top, confident they can outsell Nokia in all categories in 2012.
They've beaten their 2010 sales records, moving the impressive 300 million phones in 2011, which seems to set them on the right track. They were on top in terms of smartphone volumes, but still trail Nokia when you consider all phones.
Analysts from Gartner are less certain that the South Koreans can steal the crown, saying that Nokia's strong position in emerging markets will allow it to maintain its lead. Especially, because the growth of the smartphone market is expected to slow down this year, except in emerging markets where Nokia reigns supreme. This is something Samsung will need to address if they really want the top spot, analysts say.
Reuters is predicting Nokia will sell 388 million phones in 2012, with Samsung following close by with 359 million. Their predictions for 2011 were 418 million and 320 million respectively, so predictions aren't always exact.
We'll see how things go. Samsung is pushing forward with Android, Bada and maybe Tizen, while Nokia is making Symbian (now Nokia OS, previously the top OS by market share) play second fiddle to their new love Windows Phone, which both Nokia and Microsoft expect to really pick up this year.
Source
Source
Tuesday, 10 January 2012
Sunday, 8 January 2012
WHO:Cell phones may cause brain cancer
Radiation from cell phones could possibly cause cancer, according to the World Health Organization.
In a report issued today, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is an arm of the WHO, said it now lists mobile phone use in the same category as lead, gasoline engine exhaust, and chloroform. Officially, cell phone radiation is listed as a "carcinogenic hazard."
Until today, the WHO's IARC had said that there were no adverse health effects from the use of cell phones. The wireless industry, including the CTIA lobbying group, and the Federal Communications Commission and U.S. Food and Drug Administration have also long maintained that cell phones are safe.
The CTIA, the wireless industry trade association in the U.S., was quick to point out that the WHO's IARC did not say that cell phones definitely cause cancer.
"IARC conducts numerous reviews and in the past has given the same score to, for example, pickled vegetables and coffee," John Walls, vice president of public affairs for CTIA, said in a statement. "This IARC classification does not mean cell phones cause cancer. Under IARC rules, limited evidence from statistical studies can be found even though bias and other data flaws may be the basis for the results."
The group also emphasized that the IARC's determination was based on reviewed published studies and was not the result of new scientific research.
"The IARC working group did not conduct any new research, but rather reviewed published studies," Walls continued. "Based on previous assessments of the scientific evidence, the Federal Communications Commission has concluded that '[t]here's no scientific evidence that proves that wireless phone usage can lead to cancer.' The Food and Drug Administration has also stated that '[t]he weight of scientific evidence has not linked cell phones with any health problems.'"
In response to Tuesday's news, an FCC spokesman said, "The FCC currently requires cell phones to meet safety standards based on the advice of federal health and safety agencies. We support the IARC recommendation for more research to clearly identify any potential health risks and, as appropriate, consider whether further actions may be required."
The new determination from the WHO's IARC was established at a meeting in France where a team of 31 scientists from 14 countries, including the United States, considered peer-reviewed studies about the safety of cell phones. The team said that it had found enough evidence to consider exposure to cell phone radiation as "possibly carcinogenic to humans."
The scientists reiterated what many in the field have said for years, which is that there are not enough long-term studies to decisively say one way or another whether cell phone radiation causes cancer. But there is enough data to show connections between exposure and health risks for consumers to be concerned.
Jonathan Samet, a medical doctor and professor from the University of Southern California, and the overall Chairman of the IARC's Working Group, which reviewed the studies, said in a statement today that "the evidence, while still accumulating, is strong enough to support a conclusion and the 2B classification. The conclusion means that there could be some risk, and therefore we need to keep a close watch for a link between cell phones and cancer risk."
The IARC has not yet published new guidelines for cell phone use, but the director of the organization suggested that concerned consumers take precautions to reduce exposure. He also emphasized the need for more research.
"Given the potential consequences for public health of this classification and findings, it is important that additional research be conducted into the long-term, heavy use of mobile phones," IARC Director Christopher Wild said in a statement. "Pending the availability of such information, it is important to take pragmatic measures to reduce exposure such as hands?free devices or texting."
The IARC said in a statement that it considered hundreds of scientific articles, including some recent articles that had been published as a result of the 10-year Interphone study.
Source: Cnet.com
In a report issued today, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is an arm of the WHO, said it now lists mobile phone use in the same category as lead, gasoline engine exhaust, and chloroform. Officially, cell phone radiation is listed as a "carcinogenic hazard."
Until today, the WHO's IARC had said that there were no adverse health effects from the use of cell phones. The wireless industry, including the CTIA lobbying group, and the Federal Communications Commission and U.S. Food and Drug Administration have also long maintained that cell phones are safe.
The CTIA, the wireless industry trade association in the U.S., was quick to point out that the WHO's IARC did not say that cell phones definitely cause cancer.
"IARC conducts numerous reviews and in the past has given the same score to, for example, pickled vegetables and coffee," John Walls, vice president of public affairs for CTIA, said in a statement. "This IARC classification does not mean cell phones cause cancer. Under IARC rules, limited evidence from statistical studies can be found even though bias and other data flaws may be the basis for the results."
The group also emphasized that the IARC's determination was based on reviewed published studies and was not the result of new scientific research.
"The IARC working group did not conduct any new research, but rather reviewed published studies," Walls continued. "Based on previous assessments of the scientific evidence, the Federal Communications Commission has concluded that '[t]here's no scientific evidence that proves that wireless phone usage can lead to cancer.' The Food and Drug Administration has also stated that '[t]he weight of scientific evidence has not linked cell phones with any health problems.'"
In response to Tuesday's news, an FCC spokesman said, "The FCC currently requires cell phones to meet safety standards based on the advice of federal health and safety agencies. We support the IARC recommendation for more research to clearly identify any potential health risks and, as appropriate, consider whether further actions may be required."
The new determination from the WHO's IARC was established at a meeting in France where a team of 31 scientists from 14 countries, including the United States, considered peer-reviewed studies about the safety of cell phones. The team said that it had found enough evidence to consider exposure to cell phone radiation as "possibly carcinogenic to humans."
The scientists reiterated what many in the field have said for years, which is that there are not enough long-term studies to decisively say one way or another whether cell phone radiation causes cancer. But there is enough data to show connections between exposure and health risks for consumers to be concerned.
Jonathan Samet, a medical doctor and professor from the University of Southern California, and the overall Chairman of the IARC's Working Group, which reviewed the studies, said in a statement today that "the evidence, while still accumulating, is strong enough to support a conclusion and the 2B classification. The conclusion means that there could be some risk, and therefore we need to keep a close watch for a link between cell phones and cancer risk."
The IARC has not yet published new guidelines for cell phone use, but the director of the organization suggested that concerned consumers take precautions to reduce exposure. He also emphasized the need for more research.
"Given the potential consequences for public health of this classification and findings, it is important that additional research be conducted into the long-term, heavy use of mobile phones," IARC Director Christopher Wild said in a statement. "Pending the availability of such information, it is important to take pragmatic measures to reduce exposure such as hands?free devices or texting."
The IARC said in a statement that it considered hundreds of scientific articles, including some recent articles that had been published as a result of the 10-year Interphone study.
Source: Cnet.com
Friday, 6 January 2012
Colourfull Squares with Java script.
You can copy and paste this in your notepad and save it as .html file to see the magic.
<Made by the mastersinner (HBH)____ >
<html>
<head>
<script type="text/javascript">
var hex = new Array("0", "1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6", "7", "8", "9", "A", "B", "C", "D", "E", "F");
var i;
function drawsquare(e) {
var square = document.createElement("div");
square.className = "square";
square.style.backgroundColor = rndcolor();
square.style.left = e.clientX + "px";
square.style.top = e.clientY + "px";
document.body.appendChild(square);
}
function rndcolor() {
var color = "#";
for (i=0; i<6; i++) {
color += hex[Math.floor(Math.random() * 16)];
}
return color;
}
</script>
<style>
body {
overflow: hidden;
}
.square {
position: absolute;
width: 25px;
height: 25px;
}
</style>
</head>
<body onmousemove="drawsquare(event);">
</body>
</html>
<Made by the mastersinner (HBH)____ >
<html>
<head>
<script type="text/javascript">
var hex = new Array("0", "1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6", "7", "8", "9", "A", "B", "C", "D", "E", "F");
var i;
function drawsquare(e) {
var square = document.createElement("div");
square.className = "square";
square.style.backgroundColor = rndcolor();
square.style.left = e.clientX + "px";
square.style.top = e.clientY + "px";
document.body.appendChild(square);
}
function rndcolor() {
var color = "#";
for (i=0; i<6; i++) {
color += hex[Math.floor(Math.random() * 16)];
}
return color;
}
</script>
<style>
body {
overflow: hidden;
}
.square {
position: absolute;
width: 25px;
height: 25px;
}
</style>
</head>
<body onmousemove="drawsquare(event);">
</body>
</html>
Thursday, 5 January 2012
Punjab Bans Mobile Phones in Schools / Colleges
Punjab Assembly has unanimously passed a resolution banning the use of mobile phones in schools and colleges, which may result into a blanket ban of mobile phone devices in campuses throughout the province.
The resolution was moved by Raheela Khadim Hussain, a PML-N MPA from Lahore, and was passed unanimously in the House.
Provincial Assembly pressed Punjab Government to restrict girls and boys from using mobile phones in their schools and colleges.
Raheela Khadim Hussain maintained mobile phone is a necessity but students remain busy in texting their friends during classes and hence don’t concentrate on their studies.
Raheela Hussain told the house that there is already a law in the country regarding the ban of mobile phones in educational institutes, which is not being implemented. She said that she moved the bill to make sure that already available law is implemented at least in province of Punjab.
Students, especially in urban areas, largely use mobile phones and are often found utilizing SMS and hourly call packages.
It is unclear so far when this directive will be issued to educational institutes of the province. We are yet to ascertain the penalties, if any, for violation of this ban.
A mixed reaction is expected from portents while students will evidently protest the decision.
It maybe recalled that for the better future of youth, Punjab and KPK Assemblies had demanded federal government to ban night packages, which federal government never listened to.
Pakistan a Safe Heaven for Cyber Criminals
Citizen Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) Chief, through a letter (at last) apprised the Federal Law, Justice & Parliamentary Affairs Minister that in the absence of Prevention of Electronic Crime Ordinance (PECO) Law 2007 (lapsed in 2010), Pakistan had become a safe heaven for cyber criminals and con artists whereas the law enforcement agencies were unable to take legal action against them.
CPLC in its letter said that it receives countless complaints regarding fake calls deceiving citizens into receiving a phony prize, misleading text messages, threatening and harassing through mobile phone calls and messages and so on. However, CPCL said, FIA is unable to take any action against all such crimes due to the absence of PECO.
Letter referenced to an incident in which CPLC received once such complaint from a trader of Jodia Bazaar where the culprits had disappeared after he (trader) transferred Rs 10,000 to them via easy load. Culprits had promised a hefty lottery money to the trader.
After receiving several complains, Sindh CPLC Chief Ahmed Chinoy asked FIA to take up such cases for necessary action as per law. In response to Chinoy’s letter, FIA told him that due to the absence of PECO, they were unable to take any action against the offenders.
Letter that was addressed to the Federal Law, Justice & Parliamentary Affairs Minister to draw his attention towards the PECO Law 2007, which had been lapsed in 2010.
Urging the federal minister to revoke PECO, letter said that these criminals were intentionally harming the physical, mental and financial position of their victims by using modern telecommunication networks such as internet and mobile phones.
CPLC in its letter said that it receives countless complaints regarding fake calls deceiving citizens into receiving a phony prize, misleading text messages, threatening and harassing through mobile phone calls and messages and so on. However, CPCL said, FIA is unable to take any action against all such crimes due to the absence of PECO.
Letter referenced to an incident in which CPLC received once such complaint from a trader of Jodia Bazaar where the culprits had disappeared after he (trader) transferred Rs 10,000 to them via easy load. Culprits had promised a hefty lottery money to the trader.
After receiving several complains, Sindh CPLC Chief Ahmed Chinoy asked FIA to take up such cases for necessary action as per law. In response to Chinoy’s letter, FIA told him that due to the absence of PECO, they were unable to take any action against the offenders.
Letter that was addressed to the Federal Law, Justice & Parliamentary Affairs Minister to draw his attention towards the PECO Law 2007, which had been lapsed in 2010.
Urging the federal minister to revoke PECO, letter said that these criminals were intentionally harming the physical, mental and financial position of their victims by using modern telecommunication networks such as internet and mobile phones.
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