According to the ChangeWave report, when asked how satisfied they are with their new tablet device, respondents indicated 74% were “Very Satisfied” with Apple’s iPad, compared to 54% for the Kindle Fire and 49% for “Other Tablet Devices.”

Of the 2600 consumers polled, only 6% (156,000) own a Kindle Fire, meaning less than 75,000 are very satisfied with their device. Both numbers – 6% ownership and the 54% satisfaction rate – are less than encouraging.

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Author : Jeff Cormier –  http://about.me/jffcrmr

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With my love of all things technology and gadget-related, will I be a geek dad? Do I even want to be a geek dad?

According to survey information obtained by Cisco/Linksys, geek dads are pretty cool and it’s fair to say yes, I do want to be a geek dad.

In the press release and infographic below from Cisco/Linksys, geek dads have varied interests, spend a great deal of time with their children (as all fathers should), and have other endearing characteristics:

“A “geek dad” is a father who is enthusiastic about technology and knowledgeable about the latest innovations. The Confessions of a Geek Dad survey* conducted in December by Answers Research, found that 71 percent of geek dads say they spend more time doing activities with their kids than their fathers did with them.

 

Today’s geek dads have a wide variety of interests, including being music lovers (82 percent), outdoor enthusiasts (65 percent), all-around fix-it guys (79 percent), gaming fanatics (78 percent) and sports buffs (77 percent).

 

In fact, 70 percent of geek dads say their kids think they are cool because they’re a tech geek. And when called a “tech geek” by their kids, 87 percent say that makes them feel proud or humored. Also, most geek dads (69 percent) say they’re cooler than other dads, attributing their coolness factor to creating a home where their kids’ friends love hanging out (75 percent).”

Looking at the information above, there’s no shame in being a geek dad, which makes me smile.

Are you a geek dad?  If so, how do you compare to those surveyed?

Author : Jeff Cormier –  http://about.me/jffcrmr

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The stories below are those we find interesting from sites we follow, but we aren’t so vain as to believe our selections are always the best.

If you have suggestions for stories to be included, submit them to us by email, or using the “Tip Us” section at the top of the site.  We’ll give you full credit for your submission!

Top 10 Tech Stories of the Day:

Facebook’s S-1 Language: Lots Of “Control”–But Not Much “Privacy” [Fast Company]

• And this shocks anyone because?

Apple jumps to third place in worldwide mobile phone shipments [GigaOM]

• 128% year-over-year growth. Samsung is the closest to Apple with only 20%.

Looking for a Better HootSuite? Try Gremln. [ReadWriteWeb]

• Worth trying, but HootSuite is extremely difficult to beat.

Survey: Kindle Fire Owners Happy With Their Purchase But Not iPad-Happy [mocoNews]

• That’s what subpar hardware, a poor user experience and $199 will get you.

Google TV adds ‘Funny Or Die’ content with new app [9to5 Google]

• Nice addition for the hundreds of folks with a Google TV.

Roar of the crowd: Super Bowl on Twitter [Twitter Blog]

• Follow the Super Bowl on Twitter.

Google reveals ‘Bouncer’, the malware scanner for the Android Market [The Next Web]

• A malware scanner. Excellent.

Super Bowl XLVI releases free official app for iOS and Android [The Verge]

• Get it now and enjoy it for the next 3 days.

Gene Simmons says a KISS Angry Birds game is coming [VentureBeat]

• I’d rather have a KISS casket.

Remember to Pee During the Super Bowl [Neatorama]

• Yes.

Have a great evening.  Check back tomorrow for 10 more super stories you can’t have but not be reading with your eyes and tell a friend to do the same.

Author : Jeff Cormier –  http://about.me/jffcrmr

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Related articles

• Top 10 Tech Stories of the Day – January 31, 2012 (c4universe.com)
• Top 10 Tech Stories of the Day – January 30, 2012 (c4universe.com)

Expected to be valued anywhere between $75 billion and $100 billion, we can all set our clocks for a May IPO.

To commemorate the Facebook IPO MBA Online has put together the short video tribute below:

“Facebook’s IPO filing not only made a statement as the largest for any technology company but a glimpse into their earnings shows their attention to detail. In 2011, FB reported a net income of $1 Billion. Not $950 million or $1.2 Billion. Perhaps it was a shout out to Justin Timberlake’s famous line from “The Social Network,” but the facts remain, they are very much in control. Not only will Mark Zuckerberg become one of the wealthiest men in the world, nearly 1,000 employees are expected to become millionaires overnight. Who would’ve thought playing farm games all day could be worth so much!”

Created By: MBA Online

Author : Jeff Cormier –  http://about.me/jffcrmr

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Japanese site Macotakara indicates Apple will showcase the iPad 3 in a media event in March ahead of its actual launch.

Originally the idea was floated out that Apple would make the iPad 3 announcement on February 24, Steve Jobs’ birthday, but now they’ve moved that to March.

Full story.

Author : Jeff Cormier –  http://about.me/jffcrmr

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Ending months of speculation, the 8-year-old social networking company has submitted registration documents with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that set a preliminary goal of raising $5 billion. Facebook is expected to be valued at $75 billion to $100 billion. Final pricing will not be set for months, and the size of the IPO probably will increase with investor demand. The filing sets the stage for an IPO in May.

So, what does a Facebook IPO reveal about the advantages to the company’s business model and what challenges lie ahead for the company and investors? A thorough examination of the 202 page S-1 sheds some light on both topics.

Facebook by Comparison:

Google is the best comparison for Facebook for a number of reasons, including:

• Both companies developed technologies that revolutionized the world of online advertising.
• Both derived the majority of revenues from advertising, and rapidly developed into global media properties.
• Both surprised some investors and demonstrated their revenue-generating power by continuing to grow at or above 100% Y/Y, even after reaching multi-billion dollar scale.

Facebook also has some key advantages over Google that could allow the company to trade at a premium to the 9x forward revenues Google traded at (on average) for several years after its own 2004 IPO. If one’s basis is a 10x forward P/S (price-to-sales ratio) multiple Facebook may trade at after the IPO, a $100 billion IPO valuation is justifiable, and the company’s value will likely exceed $100 billion by the end of 2012.

Advantages to Facebook’s Model:

• More diversified revenue base - Google still generates +95% of revenues from advertising, Facebook has many more “levers to pull” in E-Commerce and investors will pay a premium for this more diversified base of business.
• Dominant market position; advantages to the operating model - Facebook has an uncommon model where the users create/are the content that attracts other users, and the presence of +800 million (fast approaching 1 billion) worldwide users attracts thousands of third-party app developers to build social software plug-ins that make the social experience on Facebook even more engaging, then pay 30% off the top of all revenues their apps generate to Facebook via the Facebook Credits social currency. It is an enviable model.

The Facebook S-1 and Potential Challenges:

• Margins - For comparison, Google had approximately 40% EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) margins in 2004, the year of its IPO. Facebook’s margins contracted a bit from 2010 to 2011, but still: the company made $1 billion in net income on $3.7 billion in revenue last year, for a margin of 27%. Margins shrank from 31% in 2010, as revenue grew 88% but expenses grew 107%.  Something to keep in mind – net profit tends to be less correlated with stock price for high-growth Internet companies.
• Facebook Credits – E-Commerce revenues - While Google still generates ~96% of its revenues from advertising, the two main methods of Facebook’s revenue gains were advertisements and “payments and other fees” — namely virtual goods in some capacity. For year 2011, advertising was 85% of the Facebook revenue ($3.15 billion, while other payments made up $557 million). This is a HUGE jump over the previous year where $1.87 billion of revenue came from advertisements and $106 million from payments. Essentially, virtual goods grew more than 500% since the start of 2010.
• Growth - The key to Facebook’s valuation is growth — the company turned a profit for the first time only three years ago, in 2009, when it earned $229 million on $777 million in revenue. Those numbers have grown at a staggering rate since, including an 88% growth in revenue from 2010 to 2011. If investors and analysts expect those numbers to grow, a high valuation when Facebook hits the market is almost a certainty.
• International revenues - Facebook generated approximately 56% of their revenue from advertisers and Platform developers based in the United States (down 6% from 2010)  due to a faster growth rate of international users and the expansion of international sales offices and payment methods. Other Internet heavyweights like Google and Groupon already generate more than 50% of revenues from outside the U.S. Facebook maintains a leaner team than Google, and has a very large future upside potential for international advertising revenues, in addition to growth potential in global E-Commerce revenues.

Final Thoughts:

The IPO was inevitable. Facebook had tripped the regulatory wire that forces companies with more than 500 shareholders to disclose almost as much information as publicly traded companies.

Facebook’s proposed valuation would instantly catapult the social network into the ranks of the largest companies, although it still lags far behind established top-tier behemoths Exxon Mobil, Apple, and Microsoft.

The company’s track record of revenue and profit growth–which few other private tech companies can claim–as well as the opportunities that come from its massive reach seemingly justifies the huge value in many investors’ eyes.

Author : Jeff Cormier –  http://about.me/jffcrmr

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The image at left seems to reveal details of the iPad 3‘s speccifications – particularly that the device will feature a quad-core A6 processor in addition to global LTE capabilities.

Additionally the information indicates two iPad model numbers J1 and J2 (iPad 3,1 and iPad 3,2), two different devices, one WiFi only, with the other sporting WiFi and GSM/CDMA/LTE connectivity options, making the tablet compatible with carriers in all parts of the world.

Full story.

Author : Jeff Cormier –  http://about.me/jffcrmr

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In recent years, aided by the increase in computer access and digital resources, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has been a leader in cutting edge styles of educating the brightest minds around the world.

It comes as no surprise then that in a world where free often comes at a price,  and content is safeguarded for a variety of reasons – most often for financial reasons – MIT is ushering in a new era for education and open communication with OpenCourseWare.

The infographic below explains the impact of OCW on education, which programs are currently experimenting with the emerging trend, and what the future holds.

Have you taken advantage of course materials created and shared by universities thanks to OCW?  Share your experience with us in the comments below!

Via: Online College Courses Blog

Author : Jeff Cormier –  http://about.me/jffcrmr

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The stories below are those we find interesting from sites we follow, but we aren’t so vain as to believe our selections are always the best.

If you have suggestions for stories to be included, submit them to us by email, or using the “Tip Us” section at the top of the site.  We’ll give you full credit for your submission!

Top 10 Tech Stories of the Day:

Facebook reportedly to opt for a $5B IPO tomorrow rather than expected $10B [The Next Web]

• Whether its 5 or 10, Facebook will have multiple billions of reasons to smile as soon as tomorrow.

Amazon Q4 2011 net income plummets; Android Amazon Appstore and Kindle Fire sales on the upswing [9to5 Google]

• The financial figures we know, how many Kindles Amazon has sold? Not so much.

Pulse curates Election 2012 news sources so you don’t have to do it yourself [Macgasm]

• Following politics has never been so easy thanks to a great, multi-platform app.

Android users are more likely to have sex on first date [VentureBeat]

• Cheap phones and cheap sex go hand-in-hand.

Waze 3.0 lands on Android with a gorgeous UI [IntoMobile]

• Waze is super awesome. Use it every time I drive.

Opera Mini Predicts the Winner of Super Bowl XLVI [ReadWriteWeb]

• Opera Mini picks the Patriots, as do I. Hope we’re right.

Why You Should Choose Refurbished If You’re Buying Apple Products  [Lifehacker]

• Refurbished Apple products are a tremendous bargain.

Neil Young and the Sound of Music [AllThingsD]

• Neil Young speaks, I listen.

Study: Pinterest drives more referral traffic than Google+, nearly on par with Twitter [GigaOM]

• Have yet to use Pinterest. Don’t get its appeal.

Firefox 10 arrives with new dev tools and full-screen API [Ars Technica]

• Prefer Chrome and Safari over Firefox.

Have a great evening.  Check back tomorrow for 10 more super stories you can’t have but not be reading with your eyes and tell a friend to do the same.

Author : Jeff Cormier –  http://about.me/jffcrmr

Shop at Amazon.com and support C4 Universe

Related articles

• Top 10 Tech Stories of the Day – January 30, 2012 (c4universe.com)

The report from Entertainment Weekly indicates Assange recorded the voice part over the summer.

Simpsons creator Matt Groening pushed for Assange to appear in the episode after hearing he was a fan of the show.

Casting director Bonnie Pietila was then dispatched to find Assange, who then recorded his lines in a location unknown the show’s producers.

According to episode’s description, Homer and Marge learn that residents of Springfield are holding a secret meeting to kick them out.

Thereafter the Simpsons are evicted from Springfield and join an off-the-grid community outside of town. But when Homer and Marge try to sneak back into Springfield, they meet with hostility from their former friends and neighbors, and begin to appreciate their new and more accepting home.

In the outside community the Simpsons meet Assange, and:

“The Simpsons go off the grid to this very rugged place where they meet [Assange\], who’s sort of their new Flanders,” explains Jean. And how, exactly, is he like pious neighbor Ned? “Well, he lives next door,” quips Jean. “The similarities end there … He invites them over for a home movie and it’s an Afghan wedding being bombed.”

The 500th episode follows a recent trend for the show’s 23rd season, poking fun at a variety of topics related to technology.  In the last 3 months Angry Birds, Facebook and former Apple CEO Steve Jobs have all been featured on The Simpsons.