By Cynthia Herbert :: 9:27 PM
Microsoft Windows Phone handsets overtook BlackBerry smartphones and became the third largest smartphone platform in the United States last quarter, according measurement firm Strategy Analytics. This was the first time that Microsoft had surpassed BlackBerry since 2006.
Because many hard-core BlackBerry fans has been waiting for the Z10, which was just announced last week, it is possible that BlackBerry might be able to recover their sales numbers a bit in the first quater of this year. However, solid Windows Phone offerings from companies like Nokia, with the 920
Statistics from AdDuplex, a promotion network for the Windows Phone OS, show that since the release of the Windows Phone 8 operating system, , there are now more active Windows Phone 8 users than Windows Phone 7 users. This is quite the achievement, considering that Windows Phone 7 has been around for over two years.
It will likely take the better part of 2013 for the numbers to shake out to see if BlackBerry can regain any market share – the BlackBerry’s new model, the Z10, will be out at the end of March.
By Gilbert Falso :: 6:14 PM
The latest offering in the tablet craze, Microsoft’s new Surface Pro, has seen its 128GB model sell out of Microsoft’s online store in just a few hours.
At $999, this Intel-powered Windows 8 tablet, which runs the full version of the Windows 8 operating system, can run regular Windows desktop applications. This is a contrast to Microsoft’s Surface RT tablet, which cannot run many enterprise applications.
The 64GB version of the tablet
Microsoft’s Surface RT sold out of the 32GB model within one day as well, and the fact that the 128GB model has sold out just a bit faster may show that users are looking for a machine that has the storage capabilities and operating system to handle major business applications.
By Cynthia Herbert :: 10:40 AM
As winter storm “Nemo” chugs its way up the Eastern U.S. seaboard, it is leaving a slew of closed airports and disrupted travelers in its wake.
Many airline flights out of major East Coat hubs are delayed or cancelled today, stranding thousands of fliers.
One of the best ways to keep up with all the cancelations and delays is via a tool called FlightAware.
Their website offers a page that delivers real-time airline cancellation information, including statistics (by airline and airport) on the number of airline flight cancellations for a flight that was scheduled to operate today, tomorrow, or Sunday.
As of post time, over 3,100 flights had been affected worldwide due to the storm cancellations, just over 2,900 of those are flights to or from the United States.
In addition to the website, for savvy travelers on the go, or already dealing with delays at the airport, the FlightAware information is also available an an app for the iPhone.
Although you should pay attention to information from your particular carrier, the FlightAware set of tools is useful in determining airline alternatives when rerouting travel yourself.
Snow began to fall across the Northeast early on Friday morning at the start of what meteorologists predict to be a historic blizzard, set to dump up to 3 feet of snow from New York City to Boston. The storm is already following close to the track that Hurricane Sandy took last fall.
By Cynthia Herbert :: 6:53 AM
During last Sunday’s Super Bowl, automakers accounted for nearly 20 percent of all commercials on television. The folks at Cars.com tracked the online chatter to and looked at which auto ads prompted car shoppers to search for more information on the site.
“Over the years, automakers have flocked to the big game to show off their newest models and entertain viewers,” said Patrick Olsen , Cars.com’s editor-in-chief. “We examined which auto-related commercials in the Big Game not only created buzz, but also drove the greatest activity on our site, by looking at searches for each manufacturer on Cars.com.”
Findings as displayed on the infographic at the bottom of this post show that auto advertisers saw the following social buzz and search activity on Cars.com during the big game (in alphabetical order):
| Automotive advertiser | Total social media mentions | Share of search on Cars.com |
| Audi | 9,996 | 14.3% |
| Hyundai | 3,734 | 17.2% |
| Jeep | 2,547 | 9.2% |
| Kia | 3,901 | 6.4% |
| Lincoln | 1,514 | 6.9% |
| Mercedes-Benz | 3,086 | 15.8% |
| Ram | 14,468 | 2.5% |
| Toyota | 2,157 | 19.7% |
| Volkswagen | 8,063 | 8.1% |
Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota saw the largest growth in search on Cars.com as a result of their Super Bowl ads. Social media mentions were dominated by Audi, Dodge Ram and Volkswagen. Overall, Audi showed the best balance between social buzz and search.
There were 10 auto brand advertisers with 13 total minutes of automotive ad time and 47% of auto related ads were pre-released before the game. Additionally, according to data collected by Cars.com, the first quarter of the game drove the most social buzz, and there were a total of 273,062 mentions on social media.
Auto companies represented 19% of Super Bowl national advertisers with 13 minutes of ad time. Despite a blackout that spurred more than 200,000 social media posts at the beginning of the third quarter, the buzz still belonged to brands.
Below – Cars.com infographic – click for larger version:
By Gilbert Falso :: 5:32 AM
NASA is planning its first Google+ Hangout live on the International Space Station from 11 a.m. to noon EST, on Friday, Feb. 22.
This event will allow NASA’s social media followers to connect with with astronauts on the ground as well as astronauts living and working aboard the science laboratory orbiting 240 miles above the Earth.
Google+ Hangouts allow up to 10 people to chat face-to-face, but thousands more can tune in to watch the conversation live through Google+ or YouTube.
NASA’s social media followers have been asked to submit video questions prior to the Hangout, and during the event, several video questions will be selected and answered by the station crew and astronauts on the ground. The agency says that unique and original questions are more likely to be selected. In addition, NASA plans to take real-time questions submitted by fans via Twitter and Facebook.
Fans must submit video questions by Feb. 12th. To be considered, clips must be no longer than 30 seconds and have to be uploaded to YouTube and tagged with the #askAstro tag.
NASA also encourages the use of the #askAstro tag to ask real-time questions on Google+, YouTube or Twitter during the event. On the morning of the 22nd, NASA will open a thread on its Facebook page where questions can be posted.
To join the hangout, and for updates and opportunities to participate in upcoming hangouts, visit the NASA’s Google+ page at:
http://www.google.com/+NASA
NASA astronauts Kevin Ford and Tom Marshburn as well as Chris Hadfield of the Canadian Space Agency will answer questions and provide insights about life on board the space station. Station crews conduct a variety of experiments and perform station maintenance during their six-month stay on the cosmic outpost.