Consumer Electronics Daily News

Myspace Releases Early Growth Figures Post-Launch

Two weeks after launching its new platform, Myspace announced key metrics suggesting strong momentum among its core millennial audience. Heightened social activity among general consumers indicates increased awareness and interest about Myspace given its renewed focus on creative expression and music, while early site traffic and app download patterns demonstrate early adoption of the new product. The new app's strong performance has resulted in New and Noteworthy status in the App Store's social networking category.

Initial 14-day statistics include:  

• 31 million unique site visitors to check out the new Myspace.         
  • 34 percent of that traffic came through mobile.
• To date, there have been 995,000 downloads and updates of the new app.
• Myspace's new app is climbing up the social app chart quickly, moving from 1,300 to 142 in the first 14 days after its debut.
• The Myspace app is consistently ranked among the Top 20 social networking apps.
• The community is liking what they see. Myspace has been solidly trending on Twitter since its June 12 launch.
  • Myspace has trended worldwide for up to two hours at a given time on multiple days (June 12, 13, 15, and 20), even in the face of stiff competition.
• Brand sentiment has been overwhelmingly positive across social media.
• Brand sentiment on Twitter in September 2012 was nearly 60 percent positive; since launch is now approximately 80 percent positive.

To support its launch, Myspace debuted a $20 million marketing campaign across broadcast, cable, and digital. With multiple brand and product spots featuring an eclectic cast of musicians, artists, and creatives, the campaign is running across high-profile network TV programs, including Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the NBA Finals, and the BET Awards. Cable outlets running the spots include, Comedy Central, MTV, MTV2, Fuse, BET, Adult Swim, and ESPN. Myspace—whose parent, Specific Media, is one of the world's largest digital advertising companies—is also including a robust digital media component in the campaign to supplement its traditional media buys throughout the summer. The company, which had not done major advertising previous to its launch, is seeing major spikes in traffic and app downloads, tied to its multi-pronged media campaign. According to internal data gathered during the campaign's first two weeks, each media burst of TV, radio, print, and digital, correlates to significant social chatter and app downloads. The airing of a Myspace commercial during the premiere of MTV's Catfish, for example, created a social spike of 54,000 Twitter mentions of Myspace during the spot itself and drove an hour-over-hour tripling of app downloads and signups immediately after the spot.

Myspace has also been active generating partnerships with high-profile brands. Last week, Myspace announced an initiative to bring the Jimmy Kimmel Live! Live Stream concert series to viewers beginning June 18.

Myspace is available at www.myspace.com. The Myspace mobile app is available exclusively for iOS devices at www.AppStore.com. A mobile-optimized version of the new Myspace is available for non-iOS consumers as well.

PRNewswire

In New Report Provided to Congress, Media Coalition Explains Flaws in Link Between Gun Violence and New Media

The popular notion that media causes people to kill is based on flawed research, and those who support it ignore ample evidence to the contrary, according to a report issued this week by Media Coalition, Inc. and distributed today to key congressional staffers.

The group issued the 13-page report "Only a Game: Why Censoring New Media Won't Stop Gun Violence" in an effort to educate the public and in response to politicians and interest groups that continue to play the blame game in the wake of recent tragic shooting incidents. 

"The claim that video games cause violence has become a convenient narrative that is just not supported by the facts and is used as a crutch to avoid the more complex, if politically unpopular, issues," said David Horowitz, Executive Director of Media Coalition, a trade association that defends the First Amendment rights of mainstream media. "Our report explains that when independent bodies review the research they find no studies that show that video games cause actual violence, and the studies that claim a connection between new media and aggression are flawed, in dispute, and ignore obvious explanations for their results," Horowitz added. 

According to the report, the governments of Australia, Great Britain and Sweden each recently reviewed the research claiming a link between violent video games and aggressive behavior and came to the same conclusion that it is flawed and inconclusive. As a result, none of these countries-- despite having less stringent speech protections than the United States-- have imposed restrictions on video games with violent content. 

Similarly, in 2011, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a California law aimed at restricting the sale of violent video games, declaring that they deserve the same First Amendment protection as books, plays, movies and other media.  The Court reviewed the science on both sides of the debate and ruled that the research offered to justify the law had "significant, admitted flaws in methodology." 

Among the report's key findings: 

• Crime statistics do not support the theory that media causes violence. 

• Research into the effects of video games on aggression is contested and inconclusive. Much of it suffers from methodological deficiencies and provides insufficient data to prove a causal relationship.  

• Censorship of violent content is barred by the First Amendment for all types of media, but industry self-regulation works.  

Earlier this year, President Obama called for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to renew scientific research into the relationship between video games, media images and violence. He also asked Congress to authorize $10 million for the research. 

Horowitz cautioned that any new research must be neutral, comprehensive and transparent-- and not driven by politics or professional interest. The research that has been cited to date, he noted, is flawed and inconclusive and has been tainted by a bias against results that do not support the popular view. In fact, Horowitz said, many respected scientists have left this area of research because of the lack of provable data that could lead to publication and professional advancement.

The Media Coalition report is available online at http://mediacoalition.org/only-a-game/

PRNewswire

Upgrade Your Stereo Headphones To 7.1 Gaming Surround Sound

Razer™, the world leader in high-performance gaming hardware, software and systems, today announced the latest member of its software family: Razer Surround.

Razer Surround is a state-of-the-art audio engine that provides 7.1 virtual surround sound with any stereo headphones. The current generation of virtual surround technology often provides inaccurate listening experiences because individuals perceive sound differently based on their distinct ear sizes and shapes. As such, virtual surround sound traditionally falls short compared to discrete surround sound setups.

Razer Surround gives gamers a truly individualized 7.1 surround sound and attuned 3D audio experience, allowing them to acoustically pinpoint exact locations of opponents in game, providing "the unfair advantage" in gameplay.

Razer Surround is available as a complementary software add-on, integrated within Razer's Synapse 2.0 application, offering virtual 7.1 surround sound and storing individual audio signatures in the cloud. These settings can be accessed anytime and will automatically update new systems to previous calibrated settings.

In recognition of the support that the gaming community gives Razer, and in solidarity with its trade partners in gaming, Razer has waived the US $19.99 price for Razer Surround through December 2013, so that people who sign-up during this period will get a free copy of the program. During this timeframe, users will also have the option to make a donation of any amount to Child's Play (www.childsplaycharity.org) after their download start.  Everyone signing-up from Jan. 1, 2014, onward, will pay the full price of $19.99.

While the donations to Child's Play are purely voluntary and users can choose to download Razer Surround for free, Razer hopes that through this initiative users can together with Razer help children in hospitals around the world enjoy games like we do.

Child's Play's stated mission is "to improve the lives of children in hospitals around the world through the kindness and generosity of the video game industry and the power of play." As of the date of this release, the philanthropy had raised more than US $5 million in contributions.

"With the individual calibration of Razer Surround, we're setting a new standard in 7.1 virtual surround sound," says Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder, CEO and creative director. "We're a big believer of giving back to our fans and the gaming community, and making Razer Surround available free with a donation to Child's Play in 2013 is a testament of our commitment to giving back to current and future gamers of the world."

Features:

• Calibrate to your individual preferences
• Pre-configured calibrations for all Razer Audio products
• Bass boost for a thundering bass
• Sound normalization reduces loudness variation
• Voice clarity for crystal clear incoming voice communication
• Voice level adjusts the level of incoming voice communication
• Custom as well as 11 pre-set equalizer settings
• Works with any stereo headset/headphones

Operating Systems Support:

• Microsoft Windows 8 (32-bit and 64-bit)
• Microsoft Windows 7 (32-bit and 64-bit) Starter / Home Basic / Home Premium / Professional / Ultimate
• Microsoft Windows Vista (32-bit and 64-bit) Starter / Home Basic / Home Premium / Professional / Ultimate

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OUYA: $99 Game Console Thunders Into Retail And Online Stores Across North America, Canada, And U.K.

One little video game console. 170+ new games and growing. 17,000 registered game developers. And gamers ready to play. OUYA is here.

OUYA, a new kind of video game console, launches today at retail locations across the U.S., Canada, and U.K., including Amazon, Best Buy, GAME, GameStop, and Target, for only $99.99. With a current library of more than 170+ free-to-try games and media apps in 1080p HD, OUYA is the most affordable, accessible, and innovative new video game console on the market today.  

Whether racing in Flashout 3D, answering trivia in You Don't know Jack, exploring an otherworldly RPG in Chronoblade (an OUYA exclusive from the creator of the Grand Theft Auto franchise), testing patience and agility in The Little Crane That Could, or inviting friends over to compete in couch gaming fun with games like Towerfall or Hidden In Plain Sight, OUYA has something unique for every gamer, at every age. Plus, with streaming services such as Twitch.tv, TuneIn, and Plex loaded on, this little box will answer every digital entertainment need.

On OUYA, gamers can try out every game with no obligation to buy, and new games are uploaded constantly. Games are ranked based on the "fun factor," not revenue or number of downloads, with all games and apps digitally delivered-– meaning the gamer has no more discs to buy, and they own their games forever.  To date, more than 17,000 game creators worldwide have registered to make an OUYA game-- from established publishers like Sega and Square Enix, to emerging studios like Double Fine Productions, Tripwire Interactive, and Kim Swift's Airtight Games, and up-and-coming indie creators like Matt Thorson and Adam Spragg. This ensures a steady stream of games spanning familiar genres to mind-blowing, out-of-this-world game experiences.

"It's incredible to think that a little under a year ago OUYA was just an idea-- we wanted to do something completely new in console gaming: build a $99 game console, with no discs to buy, open to all developers, and affordable to all gamers," said Julie Uhrman, CEO and co-founder, OUYA. "Today, OUYA is real. Console gaming has never needed something new more than it does now."

OUYA features:

• Console: A sleek 3" x 3" cube of brushed aluminum, OUYA features an open OS with custom interface built on an NVIDIA Tegra 3 chipset that delivers fast performance, amazing graphics, and surround sound in 1080p HD.
• Controller: Designed specifically for OUYA, the controller features all the button combinations for a truly immersive game play experience, including two analog sticks, D-Pad, eight action buttons, a system button, touchpad, and Bluetooth connectivity.
• Games: With more than 170+ games already available for download on the system, OUYA's ever-growing game library covers every game experience imaginable, including Chronoblade, Beast Boxing, Final Fantasy III, Saturday Morning RPG, No Brakes Valet, and Sega's Sonic games. All games are free-to-try. No more discs, and you own your games forever.
• Apps: OUYA fans can access their favorite streaming video and music apps including content directly from Twitch.tv, Plex, XBMC, TuneIn, Crunchyroll, iHeartRadio, and many others.
• DISCOVER Store: OUYA focuses on discovering the most fun games. Games are organized by player engagement, plus an ongoing roster of guest curators share their favorite game picks.
• MAKE Channel: An evolving channel that uses OUYA's built-in software development kit to enable creators to build and test games, later allowing a direct relationship with OUYA gamers through the system.

OUYA is available now for purchase in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. through retailers Amazon (U.S., Canada, and the U.K.), Best Buy, GAME (U.K.), GameStop, and Target, and on OUYA.tv for $99.99. Additional controllers retail for $49.99. 

PRNewswire

Barnes & Noble Backs Off Nook Tablets

Barnes & Noble has reported a heavy quarterly loss in its Nook division that more than offset bookstore profit, spurring the retailer to stop producing tablets and focus on co-branding with third-party manufacturers. The company will continue making black-and-white e-readers, which make up most of its e-book sales.

Barnes & Noble still makes money from its retail stores, partly by diversifying into toys, games and other products, but it has said it expects to shrink its store count over the next decade by a third.

Read the complete story at The Wall Street Journal.

'Asura' Lands in New York Times Square

The oriental epic online game "Asura" appeared on New York Times Square billboards on June 20 in a high-profile display of the characteristics of Chinese online gaming and its progress. This game was developed by China's largest online game company Tencent, and it is an independently developed flagship product. "Asura" launched on June 25.

"Asura" is a 3DMMORPG boutique that Tencent Quantum Studio spent five years of painstaking work to build, and the CG is also produced by the well-known studio that participated in the production of the movie "Avatar".

The game's "world architect", Mr. Jin He Zai, modeled the game off of the Chinese traditional novel "Journey to the West" as viewed through an adult's perspective, remodeling the whole story. In the game, players not only can play the Monkey (Monkey King) or Rakshasa (Princess Iron Fan), traveling with the legendary heroes to re-experience the eighty-one difficulties of the novel, but they also can reach from heaven to earth to create their own oriental mythology epic.

At the same time, relying on rigorous R&D ideas and technical innovations, "Asura" aims to break stereotypes through differentiated hero design, a diversified system and a creative operating mode for the players to have a comparable classic single game combat experience in a MMORPG. The game has won multiple awards as "The Most Anticipated Online Game".

As the "World of Warcraft", "Troy," and other epic works have been adapted for online games, the theme of "Journey to the West" for an online game adaptation is not uncommon. But for most Chinese gamers, they eagerly seek a truly oriental-themed epic games on the same scale of foreign epic games.

So when "Asura" came out, it quickly met the expectations of gamers. The game brought more attractive heroes, a long journey, the historical truth, the demon god of war, all opening one after another, revealing the truth hidden by time, allowing players to experience this mythological game. Foreign players have also shown their interest in this oriental game, and many players are looking forward to testing "Asura".

PRNewswire

Think You're Not Musical? This App Might Prove You Wrong.

Two Canadian musicians have created an app that proves that anyone can have fun making music, even if they can't play an instrument, read music, or carry a tune.

"Most music creation apps are for music production people, most often guys," says Shaun Elder, creator of Piano Invention 2.0, which is being released in the App Store today.  "We saw an opening to attract a mainstream demographic into the space with a more intuitive offering."

"People may start out by saying they're not musical.  But all that melts away when they start playing with our app", says Pablo Joseph, user experience at Piano Invention.

Here's how it works: choose a background melody as a point of reference, then mix in musical bits and pieces by touching multiple points on an engaging illustration. When the user likes how it sounds, they can record it and share it online.  It's that simple.

The app includes eighteen film or video game style melodies, from the upbeat Kaleidoscope, to the moody tracks of Moonlight Gothic and Adieu Romance, to the soothing sounds of Ambient Waves.

Proof the new app is working? 57 percent of downloads of the beta version, released this past September, were by girls or women. That's a news story in itself: the music creation app that isn't geeky.

Shaun Elder is a Toronto composer who's been working in the music technology space since 2005. As a consultant with Canada's Royal Conservatory, Elder was struck by how many people he met who would say 'I'm not musical'. "I didn't believe them, and it got me thinking", he says. When Elder heard of Moonrider,a Toronto technology start-up that was using visual art to trigger musical exploration, he realized he'd found the intuitive platform he was looking for.  "It offered us a big leap forward in terms of engaging people, getting over the fear factor", says Elder.

Pablo Joseph is a Toronto musician and arts educator who has worked closely with Shaun since 2008. Joseph sees Piano Invention becoming a fully collaborative music creation tool that will bring people around the world together through music. "It's amazing to check our downloads and discover people in a dozen countries have just downloaded the app. Now I'm thinking, how do we connect them to each other?"

To see a short documentary-style video of three young adults trying out Piano Invention 2.0, click http://youtu.be/QPHbSgbiA1s . Download the free Piano Invention app for iPhone or iPad at https://itunes.apple.com/app/piano-invention-glenn-gould/id555474494?ls=1&mt=8. The free browser-based version at http://pianoinvention.com/play.

PRNewswire

Social Media Can Have Added Influence On Repeat Viewers Of A TV Show

Social media has influence on regular viewers of television shows but has little impact on drawing new or infrequent viewers to a show, according to new findings by the Council for Research Excellence (CRE). 

The effect of social media on regular viewers, or "repeaters," of a television show is much higher relative to the impact on people who infrequently sample a show, according to the findings. Infrequent viewers are mainly influenced by off-line word-of-mouth, which can be five to ten times as effective as social media in reaching these potential viewers. Conversely, TV show promos were found to potentially be a distraction for repeaters of that show.

The findings are from the recently completed academic analysis of data from the extensive, multi-pronged study, "Talking Social TV," spearheaded by the CRE's Social Media Committee.  The academic review was conducted by a team, including Peter Fader of The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, Mitchell Lovett of the Simon School of Business at theUniversity of Rochester, and Renana Peres of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The team integrated complex, extensive data sets and applied statistical modeling to the primary research conducted on behalf of the CRE, in an effort to determine a causative effect of social media usage on TV viewing. Those results were announced on June 11 at the Advertising Research Foundation's (ARF) Audience Measurement 8.0 conference.  

A second study into the relationship of social media and TV viewing, encompassing a lengthier survey of respondents using mobile apps as diaries, also has been approved by the CRE, and is expected to launch later this year.

"This academic review has helped us in numerous ways," said Beth Rockwood, senior vice president, market resources, of Discovery Communications, who chairs the CRE's Social Media Committee.  "It's helped us to identify two distinct types of viewers – the 'repeaters' and the 'infrequents'; to understand the relative roles of demographics and program genre in determining the impact of social media; and to observe the effects of different forms of communication on viewers.

"While our 'Talking Social TV' study found social media incrementally influential in drawing viewers to new shows as opposed to existing shows," Rockwood noted, "these latest findings suggest social media may have a stronger role in building relationships with a show for existing viewers than in drawing newer viewers to that show. If programmers already have a regular viewer watching their show, they can engage them further."

Among the findings of the academic review:

• For repeaters, the first encounters with offline word-of-mouth, or a one-to-one electronic communication such as an email or text, or a social-media communication, are related to higher viewing; subsequent communications can have diminishing returns. This suggests that social media is one of the most effective ways to encourage on-going engagement with a show;
• For repeaters, those receiving an initial social media message were found more likely to watch a show by one percentage point, with diminishing returns after each additional exposure to a social media message;
• For infrequent viewers, social media and show promos were found to be less related to high viewing than offline word-of-mouth, which peaks at a four-percentage-point increase in the likelihood of sampling the show. More than five social media exposures are needed to obtain the same one-percentage-point lift as one offline word-of-mouth exposure for these infrequent viewers. This suggests social media plays a role in encouraging sampling, but a smaller one;
• Demographics play a more important role than program genre in explaining the role of social media on TV viewing. Social media plays a stronger role for repeaters who are over 55 and white, and for infrequent viewers who are Hispanic, African American and male;
• Social media plays a stronger role for genres such as reality (a nearly four-percentage-point increase in likelihood of watching), sports (more than a two-percentage-point increase) and talk shows (approximately a one-percentage-point increase).

"Talking Social TV" included a quantitative study by the Keller Fay Group, an ethnographic study by Nielsen Life360, and social media analyses by NM Incite and Bluefin Labs. 

The presentations of both the original findings and the academic review of "Talking Social TV" can be found on the Social Media Committee page of the CRE website, under "New Research."

The CRE will host a webinar later this summer addressing the findings in further detail; information on forthcoming webinars is available by sign-up at the CRE homepage.

PRNewswire

Deadpool Drops Today

The highly-anticipated Deadpool game, available on XBOX 360, PS3 and PC (via Steam) is available today. It is rated “M” (Mature) by the ESRB. Marvel, Activision, and High Moon Studios have pooled their efforts to create a video game featuring Deadpool, the snarky Marvel anti-hero. While the game packs all the crass and vulgarity a gamer familiar with Deadpool would expect, it often occurs at the expense of quality action gameplay. "Developer High Moon gets the character and brings the funny, but none of the action finesse that would make Deadpool stand out," says IGN. "If you’re a fan of boob jokes and dumb, repetitive, yet mildly fun gameplay, then Deadpool will offer you a weekend’s worth of silliness." 

For more information, visit www.deadpoolgame.com, or follow along at www.facebook.com/RealDeadpool or on Twitter @RealDeadpool.

Join Free Webinar on Key M2M trends in North America and Europe

When: Today, Wednesday 26, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. EDT

Location: Online, with free registration

Speakers: Principal Analyst, Vikrant Gandhi; Senior Industry Analyst, Yiru Zhong; Industry Manager, Saverio Romeo for Frost & Sullivan's Information & Communications Technology Practice.

Leading mobile operators continue to add millions of new machine-to-machine (M2M) connections every year, which indicates a high level of demand for cellular connectivity in M2M.  This Frost & Sullivan analyst briefing on the M2M communications market will provide insight into key trends and opportunities in the connected machines space in the United States and Europe. A wide range of vertical markets are driving the growth of M2M as platforms, applications, and business models continue to advance. Moreover, the migration to mobile broadband has led to new M2M customers adopting the 3G/4G networks to ensure long-term continuity of their M2M business operations.

Why You Should Attend:

• Learn about the market size and forecasts for M2M in North America and Europe.
• Identify key vertical trends and growth opportunities.
• Learn about platforms and keys to success in the rapidly evolving M2M market.
• Participate in the interactive Q&A session.

This briefing will benefit mobile operators, M2M solution providers, hardware vendors, application providers, and enterprises with M2M deployment plans. Industry participants will learn how M2M helps customers increase business efficiency, deliver better services to customers, and ensure sustainable business operations. Frost & Sullivan will also highlight the key drivers of next-generation M2M and vertical market trends.

"Mobile operators are literally sitting on a goldmine with M2M," said Gandhi.  "There is a growing realization about the benefits of mobility in a wide range of industries. Everything has the potential to be connected."

Supporting Resources

For more information about Frost & Sullivan's Information & Communications Technology practice, please visit:http://www.frost.com/ICT

Registration

• To attend the briefing, email [email protected] your full name, job title, company name, company telephone number, company email address and Web site, city, state and country.
• Receive a recorded version of the briefing anytime by submitting the aforementioned contact details.

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