Nanoscopic microcavities offer newfound control in light filtering: Unique nanostructure produces novel 'plasmonic halos'

Feb. 7, 2013 ? Using the geometric and material properties of a unique nanostructure, Boston College researchers have uncovered a novel photonic effect where surface plasmons interact with light to form "plasmonic halos" of selectable output color. The findings appear in the journal Nano Letters.

The novel nanostructure proved capable of manipulating electron waves known as surface plasmon polaritons, or SPPs, which were discovered in the 1950s but of late have garnered the attention of scientists for their potential applications in fields that include waveguiding, lasing, color filtering and printing.

The team put a layer of a polymer film on a glass substrate and then dotted the surface with holes precisely defined by a process of electron beam lithography, using the BC Integrated Sciences Nanofabrication Clean Room facility. The team next applied a layer of silver, thick enough to be nontransparent to visible light. In addition to covering the thin film on top, the silver coated the contours of the holes in the film, as well as the exposed circles of the glass substrate below. The effect produced an array of silver microcavities.

When the researchers directed light from below and through the glass substrate, light "leaking" through nanoscale gaps on the perimeters of the microcavities created SPP waves on their top surfaces. At particular wavelengths of the incident light, these waves formed modes or resonances analogous to acoustic waves on a drumhead, which in turn effectively filtered the light transmitted to the far side, accounting for the "halo" appearance, said Boston College Ferris Professor of Physics Michael Naughton, who co-authored the report with Senior Research Associate Michael J. Burns and doctoral student and lead author Fan Ye. The team's research was funded by the W. M. Keck Foundation.

Central to this control effect are "step gaps" formed along the perimeter of each circle, which give the nanostructure the ability to modulate which waves of light pass through. It is within this geometry that the interaction of light upon the silver surface coating resulted in the excitation of plasmon waves, said Naughton. Examination of the SPPs by Mr. Ye using a near-field scanning optical microscope offered unique insights into the physics at work within the structure, Naughton said.

By adjusting the type of metal used to coat the structure or varying the circumferences of the microcavities, Naughton said the step-gap structure is capable of manipulating the optical properties of the device in the visible light range, giving the researchers newfound control in light filtering.

This kind of control, the team reports, could have applications in areas such as biomedical plasmonics or discrete optical filtering.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Boston College, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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Journal Reference:

1. Fan Ye, Michael J. Burns, Michael J. Naughton. Plasmonic Halos?Optical Surface Plasmon Drumhead Modes. Nano Letters, 2013; : 130122111344000 DOI: 10.1021/nl303955x

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/matter_energy/physics/~3/WMTYEOMisI0/130207150907.htm

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Buying luxury: Hedonistic or French?

Feb. 6, 2013 ? A young woman in Tokyo pays 243,000 Yen for a Louis Vuitton suitcase emblazoned with the company's iconic monogram. A continent away, another woman purchases the same suitcase at the company's store on New York's 5th Avenue for the equivalent price in dollars, $3000. Why? What motivates their purchases? And, do those motivations hinge on their location?

That is precisely what Professor Jaehee Jung and her collaborators at universities in 9 other countries sought to answer. Their findings published recently in the journal, Psychology & Marketing, compared consumers' perceptions of luxury.

Despite the glum worldwide economy, luxury goods are selling well. Jung, an associate professor of fashion and apparel studies, and the others found that consumers in different countries, like the two women described above, purchase luxury goods for different reasons. For luxury goods makers, it is critical to consider these motivations, Jung said.

In the U.S. it's about hedonism.

"American consumers generally buy goods for self fulfillment, rather than to please others," she said.

Jung surveyed American college students. Many responded positively to statements such as "pleasure is all that matters." Factors including the quality of luxury items were not a driving concern for the students. Jung said this preference isn't surprising; it is cultural.

"In Western cultures where individualism is valued there is generally less pressure to fit in with groups, such as peers and co-workers, than in Eastern cultures where collectivism is valued," she said.

Hedonistic tendencies may be creeping into countries with developing economies. Brazilian and Indian students perceived luxury in the same way.

Surveys of students in France indicated they value luxury items because they are expensive and exclusive. French consumers responded positively to statements including: "true luxury products cannot be mass produced" and "few people own a true luxury product."

"Many luxury goods originate in France," Jung said. "Cultural heritage and pride might have made them feel luxury is not for everyone."

Meanwhile Germans focused on function, placing emphasis on quality standards over prestige, as did the Italians, Hungarians and Slovakians.

Jung and her collaborators intend to keep exploring what drives luxury purchases, saying it has consequence for marketers, as demand increases and their target consumer base widens. A growing number of customers, college students included, now have a taste for luxury goods, but are not necessarily financially stable. Still, they buy.

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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/xOpB6ahn8PI/130206141535.htm

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Monopoly fans vote to add cat, toss iron tokens

The newest Monopoly token, a cat, rests on the game board at Hasbro Inc. headquarters, in Pawtucket, R.I., Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013. Voting on Facebook determined that the cat would replace the iron token. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

The newest Monopoly token, a cat, rests on the game board at Hasbro Inc. headquarters, in Pawtucket, R.I., Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013. Voting on Facebook determined that the cat would replace the iron token. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

The newest Monopoly token, a cat, rests on a Boardwalk deed next to a die and houses at Hasbro Inc. headquarters, in Pawtucket, R.I., Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013. Voting on Facebook determined that the cat would replace the iron token. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

The Monopoly iron token that was replaced by the new cat token rests on a Boardwalk deed next to a die and houses at Hasbro Inc. headquarters in Pawtucket, R.I., Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013. Hasbro will discontinue the iron after a vote on Facebook determined that the cat would replace it. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

The newest Monopoly token, a cat, center, rests on a Boardwalk deed next to other tokens still in use including the wheelbarrow, left, and the shoe, right, at Hasbro Inc. headquarters, in Pawtucket, R.I., Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013. Voting on Facebook determined that the cat would replace the iron token. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

FILE - This product image provided by Hasbro, shows the board game Monopoly. The end is near for the shoe, wheelbarrow or iron in the classic Monopoly game as fans vote Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013 in the final hours of a contest to determine which token to eliminate and which piece to replace it with. (AP Photo/Hasbro, File)

PAWTUCKET, R.I. (AP) ? The Scottie dog has a new nemesis in Monopoly after fans voted in an online contest to add a cat token to the property trading game, replacing the iron, toy maker Hasbro Inc. announced Wednesday.

The results were announced after the shoe, wheelbarrow and iron were neck and neck for elimination in the final hours of voting that sparked passionate efforts by fans to save their favorite tokens, and by businesses eager to capitalize on publicity surrounding pieces that represent their products.

The vote on Facebook closed just before midnight on Tuesday, marking the first time that fans have had a say on which of the eight tokens to add and which one to toss. The pieces identify the players and have changed quite a lot since Parker Brothers bought the game from its original designer in 1935.

Rhode Island-based Hasbro announced the new piece Wednesday morning.

Other pieces that contested for a spot on Monopoly included a robot, diamond ring, helicopter and guitar.

"I think there were a lot of cat lovers in the world that reached out and voted," said Jonathan Berkowitz, vice president for Hasbro gaming marketing.

The Scottie Dog was the most popular of the classic tokens, and received 29 percent of the vote, the company said. The iron got the fewest votes and was kicked to the curb.

The cat received 31 percent of votes for new tokens.

The results were not entirely surprising to animal lovers.

The Humane Society of the United States says on its website that there were more than 86 million cats living in U.S. homes, with 33 percent of households owning at least one feline in August 2011. Worldwide, there were an estimated 272 million cats in 194 countries in June 2008, according to London-based World Society for the Protection of Animals.

The online contest to change the tokens was sparked by chatter on Facebook, where Monopoly has more than 10 million fans. The initiative was intended to ensure that a game created nearly eight decades ago remains relevant and engaging to fans today.

"Tokens are always a key part of the Monopoly game ... and our fans are very passionate about their tokens," Berkowitz said.

Monopoly's iconic tokens originated when the niece of game creator Charles Darrow suggested using charms from her charm bracelet for tokens. The game is based on the streets of Atlantic City, N.J., and has sold more than 275 million units worldwide.

The other tokens currently in use are a racecar, a shoe, thimble, top hat, wheelbarrow and battleship. Most of the pieces were introduced with the first Parker Brothers iteration of the game in 1935, and the Scottie dog and wheelbarrow were added in the early 1950s.

The original version also included a lantern, purse, cannon and a rocking horse. A horse and rider token was used in the 1950s. During World War II, metal tokens were replaced by wooden ones, because metal was needed for the war effort.

"I'm sad to see the iron go," Berkowitz said. "Personally, I'm a big fan of the racecar so I'm very relieved it was saved but it is sad to see the iron go."

The social-media buzz created by the Save Your Token Campaign attracted numerous companies that pushed to protect specific tokens that reflect their products.

That includes garden tool maker Ames True Temper Inc. of Camp Hill, Penn., that spoke out in favor of the wheelbarrow and created a series of online videos that support the tool and online shoe retailer Zappos which pushed to save the shoe, Berkowitz said.

Versions of Monopoly with the new token will come out later this year.

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Monopoly: https://www.hasbro.com/monopoly

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Rodrique Ngowi can be reached at www.twitter.com/ngowi

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-02-06-Monopoly-New%20Tokens/id-449cc8f8eac24701a1efea9d09a2514f

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Terrorists with Western links a growing threat

FILE - This Oct. 2008 file photo shows Imam Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen. Al-Awlaki was born in 1971 in New Mexico where his father was studying agriculture as a Fulbright scholar. The son was educated in the United States but left in 2002, eventually returning to Yemen where he became a key figure in the local al-Qaida branch, which U.S. authorities believed was the most dangerous of the al-Qaida franchises. Al-Awlaki's fluent English and articulate speaking style won him a huge following among disaffected young Muslims in the West. He and another American, Samir Khan, who edited al-Qaida's Internet magazine, were killed in a U.S. drone attack in Yemen on Sept. 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Muhammad ud-Deen, File)

FILE - This Oct. 2008 file photo shows Imam Anwar al-Awlaki in Yemen. Al-Awlaki was born in 1971 in New Mexico where his father was studying agriculture as a Fulbright scholar. The son was educated in the United States but left in 2002, eventually returning to Yemen where he became a key figure in the local al-Qaida branch, which U.S. authorities believed was the most dangerous of the al-Qaida franchises. Al-Awlaki's fluent English and articulate speaking style won him a huge following among disaffected young Muslims in the West. He and another American, Samir Khan, who edited al-Qaida's Internet magazine, were killed in a U.S. drone attack in Yemen on Sept. 30, 2011. (AP Photo/Muhammad ud-Deen, File)

FILE - These undated photos released by the FBI show Adam Yahiye Gadahn. Born Adam Pearlman in Oregon, Gadahn converted to Islam in 1995 and moved to Pakistan, where he joined al-Qaida as a propagandist. Using the name "Azzam the American," he appeared in numerous al-Qaida videos, denouncing U.S. moves in Afghanistan and elsewhere and threatening attacks on Western interests abroad. (AP Photo/FBI, File)

FILE - This undated photo released by the U.S. Marshal's Service on May 19, 2010 shows Faisal Shahzad. On May 1, 2010, two street vendors alerted police to smoke coming out of a vehicle parked on New York's Time Square, which had been rigged with a bomb that failed to explode. Two days later, federal agents in New York arrested Shahzad, a Pakistan-born U.S. citizen who lived in Bridgeport, Conn. Shahzad was sentenced to life imprisonment in October 2010. (AP Photo/U.S. Marshals Service, File)

FILE - This December 2001 photo provided by the Plymouth County Jail shows Richard C. Reid. Reid was a British citizen who converted to Islam in prison. After his release he traveled to Afghanistan and Pakistan, where authorities say he trained with al-Qaida. More than three months after Sept. 11 attacks, Reid boarded an American Airlines flight in Paris bound for Miami and tried to detonate a bomb in his shoes. In 2002 he was sentenced to life without parole after pleading guilty to eight counts of terrorism and attempting to destroy a commercial airliner. (AP Photo/Plymouth County Jail)

FILE - This 2003 picture provided by the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences shows Nidal Malik Hasan in his graduation photo when he completed his M.D. degree. Born in Arlington, Va. to Palestinian parents, Hasan joined the U.S. Army in college and became a military psychiatrist. Colleagues said that during an assignment at Walter Reed Medical Center, he was deeply affected by dealing with young soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hasan was wounded and captured by police on Nov. 5, 2009, after he allegedly opened fire on soldiers in Fort Hood, Texas, killing 13 and wounding 29.(AP Photo/Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences)

They are called "homegrown terrorists," Western citizens highly prized by Islamic militant groups because they can move across borders and carry out attacks easier than people from Middle East or South Asian nations.

Two such people ? one Canadian and one Australian ? are believed to have been involved in the July 18 bus bombing in Bulgaria that killed five Israeli tourists and a Bulgarian driver, according to Bulgarian investigators. Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov of Bulgaria said the two were members of the Lebanese Shiite Muslim militant group Hezbollah, which in turn is linked to Iran.

Here are some examples of Western citizens who have been linked to terrorism both in their home countries or abroad in recent years:

LONDON SUBWAY BOMBING

Four young Britons ? three of Pakistani and one of Jamaican origin ? carried out a series of suicide attacks July 7, 2005, on the London public transport that killed 56 people. More than 700 people were injured. All four had lived normal lives under the police radar and had no criminal records. They carried home-made bombs in backpacks. Al-Qaida released video testimonies of two of the bombers who denounced the West and declared their allegiance to Osama bin Laden.

SHOE BOMBER

Richard Reid was a British citizen who converted to Islam in prison. After his release he traveled to Afghanistan and Pakistan, where authorities say he trained with al-Qaida. More than three months after Sept. 11 attacks, Reid boarded an American Airlines flight in Paris bound for Miami and tried to detonate a bomb in his shoes. He was subdued by passengers and crew members, and the plane landed safely in Boston. In 2002 Reid was sentenced to life without parole after pleading guilty to eight counts of terrorism and attempting to destroy a commercial airliner.

DAVID COLEMAN HEADLEY

Headley, a Pakistani-American, used his U.S. passport to travel frequently to India, where he allegedly scouted out venues for terror attacks on behalf of the Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist organization. The al-Qaida-affiliated group used the information to plan and carry out the 2008 attacks in Mumbai, India, in which more than 160 people died. Last month Headley was sentenced by a U.S. federal court in Chicago to 35 years in prison for his role in the Mumbai attacks.

TIMES SQUARE FAILED BOMBING

On May 1, 2010, two street vendors alerted police to smoke coming out of a vehicle parked on New York's Time Square ? an area teeming with tourists. Police found the vehicle was rigged with a bomb that failed to explode. Two days later, federal agents in New York arrested Faisal Shahzad, 30, a Pakistan-born U.S. citizen who lived in Bridgeport, Connecticut, after he had boarded a flight bound for Dubai in the Persian Gulf. Shahzad confessed to the attempted car bombing and said he had trained at a Pakistani terror training camp. Shahzad was sentenced to life imprisonment in October 2010.

ANWAR AL-AWLAKI

Al-Awlaki was born in 1971 in New Mexico, where his father was studying agriculture as a Fulbright scholar. The son was educated in the United States but left in 2002, eventually returning to Yemen where he became a key figure in the local al-Qaida branch, which U.S. authorities believed was the most dangerous of the al-Qaida franchises. Al-Awlaki's fluent English and articulate speaking style won him a huge following among disaffected young Muslims in the West. He and another American, Samir Khan, who edited al-Qaida's Internet magazine, were killed in a U.S. drone attack in Yemen on Sept. 30, 2011.

MAJ. NIDAL MALIK HASAN

Born in Arlington, Virginia, to Palestinian parents, Hasan joined the U.S. Army in college and became a military psychiatrist. Colleagues said during an assignment at Walter Reed Medical Center, he was deeply affected by dealing with young soldiers wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. FBI investigators alleged that he corresponded by email with al-Awlaki. Hasan was wounded and captured by police on Nov. 5, 2009, after he allegedly opened fire on soldiers in Fort Hood, Texas, killing 13 and wounding more than two dozen. Hasan, who was paralyzed from the waist down in the shooting, was charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder. A trial date has not been set, and he could face the death penalty if convicted.

ADAM GADAHN

Born Adam Pearlman in Oregon, Gadahn converted to Islam in 1995 and moved to Pakistan, where he joined al-Qaida as a propagandist. Using the name "Azzam the American," he appeared in numerous al-Qaida videos, denouncing U.S. moves in Afghanistan and elsewhere and threatening attacks on Western interests abroad. U.S. authorities filed treason charges against him in 2006 and have offered a $1 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction. Despite rumors he had been killed or captured, Gadahn appeared in a video last September marking the 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.

GLASGOW AIRPORT ATTACK

On June 30, 2007, a jeep loaded with propane canisters slammed into the terminal of the Glasgow International Airport in Scotland, setting the building on fire. Five bystanders were injured. Both occupants of the vehicle were arrested. Police identified them as Bilal Abdulla, a British-born, Muslim doctor of Iraqi descent and Kafeel Ahmed, the driver. Anti-terrorism officials said Abdulla became radicalized due to the Iraq war. Ahmed, an Indian engineering student, died of his burns. Abdulla was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and was sentenced to 32 years in prison.

AHMAD OMAR SAEED SHEIKH

Following his education in Britain, the British-born Sheikh traveled to South Asia, where he joined Islamic militant groups. He was sent to prison for kidnapping Western tourists in India in 1994, but was released to Pakistan five years later in an exchange of prisoners following the hijacking of an Indian airliner to Afghanistan. In 2002 he was convicted of kidnapping and murder in the death of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl and sentenced to death. His appeal is still pending in a Pakistani court.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-02-05-Homegrown%20Terrorists/id-81f6bd526d8a4380a14f0207702ccaad

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Dell's founder strikes deal to turn it around

In this Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2012, photo, the sun is reflected in the exterior of Dell Inc.'s offices in Santa Clara, Calif. Slumping personal computer maker Dell announced Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013, it is bowing out of the stock market in a $24.4 billion buyout that represents the largest deal of its kind since the Great Recession dried up the financing for such risky maneuvers. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

In this Tuesday, Aug. 21, 2012, photo, the sun is reflected in the exterior of Dell Inc.'s offices in Santa Clara, Calif. Slumping personal computer maker Dell announced Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013, it is bowing out of the stock market in a $24.4 billion buyout that represents the largest deal of its kind since the Great Recession dried up the financing for such risky maneuvers. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

FILE - In this Monday, Nov. 13, 2000 photo, Michael Dell, Chairman and CEO of Dell, speaks during his keynote address at Comdex, in Las Vegas. It's easy to forget now, but Michael Dell was the Mark Zuckerberg of his time. Hailed as a young genius, he created the inexpensive, made-to-order personal computer in his dorm room and peddled it to the masses, but now the PC is being eclipsed by smartphones and tablet computers, and Dell is trying to save his company. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, FIle)

FILE - In this Thursday, March 26, 2009, file photo, Michael Dell, Chairman and CEO of Dell Inc., reacts to a question during a press conference in Beijing, China. Slumping personal computer maker Dell announced Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013, it is bowing out of the stock market in a $24.4 billion buyout that represents the largest deal of its kind since the Great Recession dried up the financing for such risky maneuvers. billion. Michael Dell, who owns nearly 16 percent stake in the company, will remain the CEO after the sale closes and will contribute his existing stake in Dell to the new company. (AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan, File)

FILE - In this Friday, Feb. 26, 1999, file photo, Michael Dell, foreground, sits in the dorm room at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas, where he launched his enterprise as a college freshman. Michael Dell was the Mark Zuckerberg of his time. Hailed as a young genius, he created the inexpensive, made-to-order personal computer in his dorm room and peddled it to the masses. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck, File)

NEW YORK (AP) ? It's easy to forget now, but Michael Dell was the Mark Zuckerberg of his day.

Hailed as a young genius, he created the inexpensive, made-to-order personal computer in his dorm room and sold it straight to the public. In the 1980s and '90s, his face appeared on magazine covers, and well before he turned 40, he was a college dropout-turned-billionaire CEO, ranked alongside Bill Gates and Steve Jobs.

But that was a long time ago in the fast-moving world of high technology. Now the PC is getting eclipsed by smartphones and tablet computers, and Dell is struggling to save his company ? and his legacy.

Tuesday's announcement that Michael Dell and the investment firm Silver Lake have struck a $24.4 billion deal to buy Dell Inc. and take it private may well be the founder's last chance to recapture his former glory. The agreement will allow the company to attempt a turnaround without having to worry about keeping its stock price up and pleasing Wall Street.

For Michael Dell, 47, the attempt to retool the company he built is personal, said technology analyst Patrick Moorhead, who runs Moor Insights & Strategy.

"His name is on the logo and all the buildings. So he takes all of this very personally," Moorhead said. "This is a way for him to solidify the way people will look at him and remember him."

Analysts said Dell Inc. will have to mine more profitable areas such as technology consulting and business software.

In a statement, Dell himself said little more than that the transformation will "take more time, investment and patience."

The company he founded some 29 years ago rose to the top of the world's PC market more than a decade ago. In its heyday, its turn-of-the-millennium ad slogan, "Dude, you're getting a Dell," became a pop-culture catchphrase. Dell sold directly to customers, cutting out stores and other middlemen, and passing the savings along.

"What Michael Dell was all about was getting products to people faster and more directly and at a lower cost than anyone could," said Forrester Research analyst David Johnson.

While Dell PCs are still used in corporate offices and homes around the world, the industry has proved unforgiving to those who don't evolve with it. With smartphones booming, PC sales weakening, and tablets expected to outsell laptop computers this year, Dell's old slogan is more likely to be phrased as a question, as in: "Dude, you're getting a Dell?"

Dell Inc. is now worth less than the $30 billion it raised in its 1988 initial public offering and well below its peak of more than $150 billion in 2000, and is now the world's third-largest PC maker, having fallen behind Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo. Apple has a smaller share of the computer market but more than makes up for that with its sleek iPods, iPhones and iPads.

IBM managed to reinvent itself during the 1990s when its main business of selling mainframe computers began to suffer as desktop machines grew increasingly powerful. But it took nearly a decade.

Michael Dell stepped down as CEO in 2004, staying on as chairman. But the company faltered under CEO Kevin Rollins and saw its first-ever profit decline. Customers complained of poor service, and sales slowed as Dell faced a market glut of cheap PCs from other makers. The company lost its No. 1 position to HP 2006 and never regained its standing.

Michael Dell returned as CEO in 2007 and began carrying out a turnaround plan, dubbed "Dell 2.0," that included improving customer service, thinning the managerial ranks and expanding into new businesses.

Moorehead said it will probably take Michael Dell at least another three to five years to transform his company. That's a timeframe that probably would have caused Wall Street to grow even more frustrated with Dell.

"If what you are trying to do is not being valued by your investors, you need to go somewhere else," Moorhead said. "They weren't getting any respect on Wall Street, so this is the best move they could make right now."

___

AP Technology Writer Michael Liedtke contributed to this story from San Francisco.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-02-05-Dell-Rise%20and%20Fall/id-e433ded457aa4843b38b183d88f83fdc

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Google?s big potential problem: The ?Galaxy? brand is starting to beat the ?Android? brand

Samsung Galaxy Note II

There?s no mystery that Google (GOOG) is collaborating with Motorola on the so-called ?X Phone? at least in part to weaken Samsung?s (005930) hold on the Android ecosystem. And now?Benedict Evans, a strategy consultant for Enders Analysis, points us to some charts showing why Google is so eager to contain Samsung: It seems that Samsung?s Galaxy brand may be overtaking Google?s Android brand in terms of consumer awareness.

[More from BGR: iOS 6.1 untethered jailbreak now available for download, compatible with iPhone 5 and iPad mini]

Using a Google Trends graph, Evans shows how the Galaxy brand has been rising steadily for years in tandem with the Android brand in terms of web search volume, and for the first time briefly eclipsed Android in worldwide searches this past December. That?s obviously great news for Samsung but not such great news for Google, which has traditionally preferred that no one vendor dominate the sales of devices based its mobile operating system.

This article was originally published on BGR.com

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/google-big-potential-problem-galaxy-brand-starting-beat-010254435.html

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Silent Circle's encryption app could revolutionize mobile privacy, if Uncle Sam lets it

If CEO Mike Janke's boasts are to be believed, his company Silent Circle and its eponymous encryption apps could stand to "revolutionize... privacy and security." And he's willing to push the tech forward at all costs, even if that means raising the ire of the federal government. While the feds have yet to officially weigh in on his startup's novel software -- and Janke's certain they will -- others who've tested the peer-to-peer service's new Silent Text app claim its benefits for human rights activism worldwide far outweigh its potential use as a criminal aid.

This isn't the company's first crack at the mobile security space, though. A prior version of Silent Circle's subscription-based app was released last fall, granting Android and iOS users secure transmission of texts, as well as voice and video calls. But now, the controversial app in question has been beefed up, adding the ability to send encrypted files (up to 60MB) with a set "burn" (read: deletion) time. And since Silent Circle doesn't host the required encryption key on its servers, there's no way for the company to access users' data. What's more, the company's also pledged to not cooperate with surveillance requests from law enforcement, nor will it compromise the service's integrity by introducing a "backdoor" for the FBI.

That's a mighty strong stance to take against Uncle Sam, but Janke's not concerned. If the United States government does eventually prove an impediment, he's ready to move Silent Circle's shop to a locale that understands "...every [citizens'] right to communicate... without the fear of it being... used by criminals, stored by governments, and aggregated by companies that sell it." Based on that quote alone, we'd say Janke's what you might call a freedom fighter. For now, the souped up app's set to launch on the App Store February 8th, with an Android release to follow soon after. When it lands, we'd advise you to get it while it's hot -- preferably, before Capitol Hill deems it too hot to handle.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Wireless, Software, Mobile

Comments

Source: Slate

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/04/silent-circle-encryption-app-mobile-privacy/

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