Best links - week 51

By Paulina Modlitb... on 2009-12-18

A random mix of things we have read and liked this past week.

Local Governments Offer Data to Software Tinkerers

A two-week-old NY Times story on novel web and mobile services, using local data made available by the US government.

More women using social networks, preferring Facebook

A new study from SheSpeaks shows that 86% of all women are now using social networks, a 48% increase over 2008, reports UTalk Marketing. Furthermore, 50% of social media users report that they have purchased products because of information on social networking sites.

"Moderaterna ska jobba för en dynamisk upphovsrätt" (Swedish)

In a recent debate article, politicians Henrik von Sydow and Per Schlingmann, members of Moderaterna, declare that they aim to "make it easier for originators, e.g. authors and musicians, to partly renounce their moral and economic rights [editor's translation]."

Software Developer Targets Publishers with Platform for Self-Selecting Content

Folio Mag describes Sequence new readership targeting system, which allows readers to select information from a publication's library of content for personal delivery in either printed or e-mailed PDF format.

YouTube considering subscription fees

Yet another article regarding YouTube's rumored plans to charge for exclusive content. This time, the Guardian reports that Google executive David Eun, who is in charge of partnerships with media companies, has confirmed that paid subscription was an option.

We Read The Morgan Stanley Mobile Internet Report So You Don't Have To

Startup Blog Arctic Startup summarizes Morgan Stanley's latest report: The Mobile Internet Report. One conclusion: "Apple is driving the platform change to mobile. Its mobile ecosystem should surprise on upside for the next 2 years. Long term Google android will limit Apple's market share."

Android Market Hits 20,000 Apps

Although the iPhone's App Store is still dominating the mobile application market, the Android Market is growing fast, reports Mashable. 20,000 apps have been sold so far, doubling in size in the last five months.

The Guardian iPhone app launches

The Guardian recently launched their new paid (£2.39) iPhone application. The Guardian's Product Manager Jonathon Moore comments: "At an early stage we decided to set the bar high, which hopefully means the app has been planned, designed, tested and developed to offer a truly engaging experience on the iPhone and iPod Touch devices. The investment involved in this requires us to ask a small fee in return, and I do believe that our chosen pricing point of £2.39 offers great value for money." So far, the app has been doing really well. A few days ago, mocoNews reported that the app sold 9,000 downloads in the first two days.

Paywalls will kill off legions of promiscuous online newspaper readers

The Guardian's Roy Greenslade addresses the hot topic of newspaper pay walls. So does cnet's Rafe Needleman in his blog: Dear newspapers: I will pay for content, once.

Läget i den svenska musikindustrin: Artisterna har aldrig tjänat bättre (Swedish)

A newly published study by researchers at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, suggests that musicians benefit from file sharing and are making more money that ever, whereas the record labels are striving, writes Mindpark's Jocke Jardenberg. Dagens Nyheter also covered the story.

Augmented Reality Is Overhyped and Abused

AdAge's Matthew Szymczy explains why he believes that it is more important than ever to remember that augmented reality is a technology based on utility and not gimmicks. We don't fully agree, but alternative and critical viewpoints are always refreshing.

Farmville Blows Past 70 Million Monthly Users (via @jocke)

Facebook game developer Zynga's most popular game, Farmville, just keeps growing. The game recently surpassed 70 million monthly active users.

Magazines Get Ready for Tablets

New York Times covers the digital magazine trend from a business model point-of-view in a long article.

When Lego lost its head - and how this toy story got its' happy ending

Daily Mail offers a great article on the ups and downs of Danish toy company Lego. Luckily, the story has a very happy ending.

How the iPhone Could Reboot Education

Wired's Gadget Lab has a story on how iPhones can be used to enhance education. The private Abilene Christian University, located in Texas, has initiated a pilot program, in which 1,000 freshman students have been provided free iPhones and iPod Touch devices. The students are, for example, encouraged to use their iPhones to look up relevant information on the fly.

[UPDATED! A few more links.]

Huffington Post launches paid Tweets and comments (Brand Republic) (via @jonas_o)

Can Nokia Recapture Its Glory Days? (NY Times)

11 things I didn't know about app development (Venture Beat)

PSP Digital Comics now available also in the US and some parts of Europe (Akihabara News) (via @erichugo)

More lightweight:

100 Social Media & Content Marketing Predictions for 2010

NY Times - The 9^th Annual Year in Ideas (via @olofster)

AdWeek's Best of the 2000's

How Huge Is the Internet on an Average Day

O'Reilly Release 1.0 - O'Reilly has released old issues (1983-2006) of Esther Dyson edited technology newsletter Release 1.0 for free online.

Dear Steve Jobs - Swedish public service TV goes crowdsourcing and viral PR (Swedish).